We are a general insurance provider of products and services to the UK retail market, specifically for car, van, motorbike and home insurance. We have two trading businesses: Hastings Insurance Services Limited (“HISL”), trading as Hastings Direct, an insurance intermediary and service provider operating from three locations in the UK (Bexhill-on-Sea, Leicester, and London); and Advantage Insurance Company Limited (“AICL”), an insurance underwriter based in Gibraltar. HGCL is the ultimate UK parent company of the Group, and via its wholly owned subsidiary, Hastings Group Holdings Limited, is responsible for oversight of the Group’s operations; its head office is located in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.
Our business model focuses on providing general insurance products and services to customers in the UK only, via price comparison websites, telephone and digital interface. The Group operates UK call centre operations for retail sales, customer service and claims handling functions, and has outsourced arrangements to supplement these operations in the UK and in South Africa.
We support, and are committed to, the welfare of all of our colleagues in terms of pay, working hours, environment, health and safety, and wellbeing. We do not expect, and will not tolerate, violations of basic human rights or UK employment practices by any colleague or within our supply chain. The number of colleagues directly employed by the Group as at 31 December 2021 was over 3,200. Our colleagues are engaged on a variety of full-time, part-time, and flexible working arrangements and are appropriately remunerated and incentivised; the Group does not operate zero-hour contracts. Some of our colleagues, primarily those based in our call centres, are employed on a seasonal basis to accommodate, for example, students during holiday periods. Contractors are also employed by the Group from time to time, but these are generally professional workers for specific projects.
The Group has a transparent and inclusive culture based on its 4C’s cultural framework ensuring the needs of Colleagues, Customers, Community and Company are considered. We listen and respond to issues and concerns our colleagues raise, either through formal surveys, colleague forums, leadership escalation or, if necessary, via ad-hoc, open communication directly with Chief Executive Officer. The Group does not formally recognise a trade union, but all colleagues have the right to be represented by a trade union member should they wish.
HISL’s primary suppliers include price comparison websites, data centre providers, outsourced call centre service providers, vehicle repair centres, car hire providers, and law firms. All of these suppliers, with the exception of the South African call centre operation, are based in the UK, the European Union, or the United States.
AICL’s external supply relationships include reinsurance brokers, actuarial service providers, and reinsurers who, with the exception of some reinsurers, are all based in the UK.
No other Group company has any supply relationships with the exception of corporate, accounting and legal services from UK based organisations.