Hastings Direct ‘reviewing options’ for head office

Hastings Direct has confirmed that it is considering whether to move its head office from its long-standing home in Bexhill

The insurance giant, which is currently based in Conquest House in Collington Avenue, is said to be “reviewing its options” and considering alternative local locations for its headquarters.

The news comes less than a year after the Hastings Group was taken over by a consortium of businesses in a £1.7 billion transaction.

South Africa’s Rand Merchant International and Finnish insurer Sampo made the cash bid for the firm in August 2020.

A spokesperson for Hastings Direct said: “We are reviewing options for an alternative head office site in the local area and at this point no final decision has been made.”

The firm did not confirm rumours put to it by the Observer that one of the sites under consideration is a site located in the centre of Hastings.

Founded in 1996 in Bexhill, the Hastings Group is one of the leading general insurance providers to the UK market, with over 3 million live customer policies.

The firm currently employs more than 3,400 people across its sites in Bexhill, Leicester, Gibraltar and London.

Hastings Direct is known for supporting charity and educational causes in the community, particularly during Covid-19.

A community grant set up by the business in the wake of the pandemic helped 73 charities in Hastings and Bexhill with more than £78,500 in funds.

This included £1,000 for the Bexhill Community bus to help them install screens for the drivers and PPE for the users, enabling them to reinstate their service.

Meanwhile Hastings Direct’s catering team at Conquest House prepared nearly 1,000 meals for Dom’s Food Mission to distribute to those in need in the community, in just 15 weeks last spring.