5th Nov 2007 07:01
Nationwide Accident Repair Srvs PLC05 November 2007 NARS.L NATIONWIDE ACCIDENT REPAIR SERVICES PLC ("Nationwide" or "the Company") Announces Contract with Zenith Insurance plc Nationwide, the largest provider of dedicated accident repair services in theUK, is pleased to announce that its accident management arm, Nationwide NetworkServices, has agreed a contract with Zenith Insurance plc ("Zenith") to provideaccident management services, including first notification of loss to Zenith'smotor policyholders. The contract is for 2 years and is estimated to be worth inexcess of £5.0m per annum. It was awarded following a rigorous competitivetender process. Under the terms of the agreement, Nationwide Network Services will act as thefirst point of contact for Zenith's customers following a vehicle accident andwill arrange for all necessary engineering or repair services. Services will beprovided from Nationwide's contact centre in Northwich, acquired last year withmotor claims management business, Aquilo. Nationwide will control the deploymentof all repair work and anticipates undertaking the majority of repair servicesat its own bodyshops. The agreement with Zenith follows Nationwide's contract wins with Norwich UnionInsurance and Hastings Direct, secured in recent months and is in line withNationwide's strategy to expand both its core bodyshop repair activities and itsaccident management services developing a broad automotive support servicesoffering. Trevor Webb, General Manager - Technical & Supplier Claims Integrity, at Zenithsaid, "Nationwide has a well equipped and extensive network of accident repair centresthroughout the UK. The team has a proven track record for customer care andextremely high service standards, as well as operating a highly cost effectivemodel. The appointment of Nationwide will not only ensure that our brokers andtheir customers experience a first-class claims service but also will help us aswe continually seek to improve our claims costs and reduce administrativeexpenses." Michael Wilmshurst, Chief Executive of Nationwide, said, "We are delighted to forge this new relationship with Zenith, which represents afurther step forward in the growth of our motor claims management business,Nationwide Network Services. This operation, which was significantly expandedwith the acquisition of Aquilo Motor Services in December 2006, complements ourcore accident repair activities and we look forward to continuing to develop thebusiness further." Enquiries: Nationwide Accident Michael Wilmshurst, Chief T: 01993 701 720Repair Services plc Executive Biddicks Katie Tzouliadis T: 020 7448 1000 Arbuthnot Securities James Steel T: 020 7012 2000 NOTES TO EDITORS About Nationwide Repair Services plc Nationwide provides automotive crash repair and accident administration servicesto the UK insurance industry. With a network of accident repair centres inEngland, Scotland and Wales employing over 2,100 people, it is the largestdedicated provider of accident repair services in the UK. Nationwide's accident administration services are provided by its subsidiary,Nationwide Network Services, which provides comprehensive motor claimsmanagement services to insurers, insurance brokers and affinity groups. Servicesinclude full claims management, engineering services, emergency and roadsideassistance as well as vehicle repair services and total loss management. About Zenith Insurance Plc Based in Gibraltar, Zenith Insurance plc (Zenith) specialises in providingpersonal lines insurance products including motor and home to the UKintermediary market. Policies are underwritten by Zenith and administered by GHLInsurance Services UK Limited. Zenith is part of GHL Europe GHL Europe represents the European operations ofCaribbean financial services company, Guardian Holdings Limited. It comprisesGibraltar based insurers, Zenith Insurance plc and Link Insurance CompanyLimited, and UK based service provider GHL Insurance Services UK Limited. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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