Yorkshire-based insurance firm JMG Group makes tenth acquisition of 2023

Steven Lewis, inset, director of the £7m business, said it will be ‘business as usual’ for the firm, the team and their clients as the business embarks on its next phase of growth as a JMG Group company.

He added: “One of the many benefits of joining the JMG Group is that the majority of the administration, business management and compliance functions will be centralised, which will free up more of my time to focus on clients and supporting the team here to develop their roles and careers with us.

“For anyone dealing with us, it will be business as usual. The company will continue to trade as Blackfriars, clients will deal with the same people in our team, and we will continue to specialise in liability and business insurance for businesses UK-wide.

“We wanted to ensure the business would be in the best hands moving forward, and I can safely say that my experience of the JMG Group has left me in no doubt that we are doing exactly that.

“I’m looking forward to working more closely with the JMG team to continue growing our business.”

JMG Group CEO Nick Houghton said: “I’m delighted to welcome Steven and his team to the group, and we look forward to supporting them as they continue to build on the company’s success.

“Having them on board further strengthens our presence in the North West, and the team’s track record of generating online leads will add another dimension to business development within the group.” The news comes after last week, the Yorkshire business announced that it had also acquired Southampton-based insurance broker GR Marshall.

GR Marshall, which was established in 1974 by Gill Marshall, is now led by Robert Tipp who became a major shareholder and managing director in 2001 and then sole shareholder in 2013.

The firm operates primarily in the property, motor trade and personal insurance markets.

The business employs five staff at its office in Hythe and will continue to trade under the GR Marshall brand.

Earlier this year, specialist HGV and motor trade insurance broker New Era also became part of JMG Group, and within weeks, itself acquired acquired Preston-based courierinsurance.co.uk.

The move established a new specialist commercial motor division within the group.

The JMG Group was established in 2020 following a management buyout of JM Glendinning

Insurance Brokers led by Group CEO Nick Houghton and backed by SYNOVA.

The firm Now operates with a team of over 450 across 25 offices, stretching from the highlands of Scotland to the south coast of England.