SECTOR FOCUS: PROPERTY Insurer opens Devon office


South West rural insurer Cornish Mutual has opened a new Devon office to help service its growing Membership in East Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Cornish Mutual now occupy The


Barn at the Hitchcocks Business Park near Willand. The new 2,000 sq ft premises provides a permanent base for the company in the county, and is led by Phil Wilson, Sales & Operations Leader at Cornish Mutual. The expansion is part of the


company’s continued investment in its member service-led strategy. Its presence in Devon will further enhance the company’s service and enable it to continue to deliver expert insurance advice to members in a straightforward and face-to-face manner. The insurer joins other


ABOVE: Gemstock specialises in dilapidations


LEFT: Richard Wood, founder of Gemstock Chartered Surveyors


prominent regional businesses based at the site, including Gregory Distribution, Mid Devon District Council, and Richfords Fire & Flood, a restoration specialist which Cornish Mutual has worked with for many years. In 2015, the rural insurer’s Field


Force team visited over 12,000 Members across the South West –


The team at Cornish Rural’s new Devon office


a combined travel distance of 240,000 miles – and the new office will offer the team an operational base in Devon from which to conduct many of these farm visits. Alan Goddard, Managing


Director of Cornish Mutual, said: “We welcome members and non- members to drop in and talk to Phil and his team – the door is always open. “This is strategically and


operationally a very significant step for Cornish Mutual and will


be invaluable in the continued development of our exceptional service delivery to the whole of the South West.” Richard Persey, owner of


Hitchcocks Business Park, said: “As a former farmer I am delighted that Cornish Mutual has chosen us as the location for its new office. We diversified the farm five years ago to create the industrial business park and it has been a huge success, largely due to its location only minutes from the M5.”


November/December 2016 Chamber Profile 27


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36