


Bread, Milk & Car Insurance
Andrew Bowen
With increased competition between supermarkets to gain market share and improve profitability, the range of products on offer is getting ever diverse. Now, the big three chains, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda have caught on to the fact that their brand name can sell just about anything, including of all things, car insurance.
Car insurance is one of those very boring expensive products that you loathe having to pay for but have no choice if you want to drive a car on Britain’s roads. Why therefore would supermarkets want to be associated with such a seemingly expensive pain in the pocket? Well it seems that the public think it’s a great idea and are buying it from these stores in their thousands with the belief that it must cheap if the supermarkets are selling it. The strange thing is that the companies behind these deals, who are actually underwriting the risk, are the same companies who have been selling you car insurance for years.
Tesco for example seem to be incredibly successful in selling motor insurance to their customers with statements proclaiming that you could save up to £150 compared to some leading insurers. Tesco of course is not an insurer. If you look closely at the bottom of the Tesco car insurance webpage, you will notice it says that the policy is provided and underwritten by a company called UK Insurance Limited. Who on earth is this company you may ask. UK Insurance Limited is part of Royal Bank of Scotland who also own Direct Line along with Churchill and Privilege.
Sainsbury’s state that you could save up to £165 on your car insurance compared to other leading insurers - £15 better than Tesco. Of course, like Tesco, Sainsbury’s is not an insurer either. A quick look at their webpage shows that policies are arranged and administered by Esure, who are part of the Halifax Bank of Scotland group. Maybe Sainsbury’s are about to swap Jamie Oliver for Michael Winner – maybe not.
Asda state that they give you the “very best possible insurance protection” and offer a 10% discount if you buy online. Of course, just like Tesco and Sainsbury’s, Asda is not an insurer. Asda have opted to team up with Norwich Union to provide their policies.
The insurers are desperate to get into bed with the Supermarkets. It enables them to dress up their car insurance product with an already well known and trusted brand name. This is good business and a smart way to gain lots of new customers very quickly. Ironically though, some of those ‘new’ customers may already be with that insurer. Without knowing it, they may end up cancelling or not renewing their existing policy but staying with the same insurance company via the cheaper supermarket option.
>From a customer perspective, the upshot of all this will hopefully be to get cheaper car insurance, which at the end of the day is what everybody wants. Who the insurer is behind the deal is probably not of great concern to people. In the long term, whether the actual underwriting results of these deals are profitable enough for the insurers to continue to offer the supermarkets good rates for their customers, will be interesting. One thing is for sure, I don’t see Direct Line advertising bananas six for a pound anytime soon.
Copyright (c) 2004 AcceptDirect.co.uk http://www.acceptdirect.co.uk
Andrew Bowen is the CEO of Accept Direct Limited. Accept Direct offer car insurance to UK customers through their website http://www.acceptdirect.co.uk
Crash Your Florida Car Insurance Rates 55% with Your Voice San Francisco Chronicle (press release) Consumer experts at InsureonaBudget.com show Florida auto insurance policy holders how they can reduce their auto insurance premium by 55% just from taking advantage of loopholes in car insurers' rates. Most consumers understand that they aren't going ... |
PIP ordinance: A lesson in collaboration Tbo.com We were literally ground zero for insurance fraud. Today I am proud to say we are on our way to lower car insurance premiums and safer roads. Last year, the 775 staged auto accidents reported in Hillsborough resulted in a cost of about $15.5 million. |
Lawmakers Approve Plans for Redistricting The Ledger The other major session priority that is somewhat in doubt is the legislation to overhaul the state's no-fault auto insurance program. But most expect lawmakers to agree on some reform package given that it is a priority for legislative leaders as well ... |
Texting-while-driving ban offered again Florida Today Concklin's accident happened in Texas, but she says it easily could have happened in Florida, where she lives. Both states are among those that haven't outlawed texting by all drivers operating motor vehicles. Thirty-five states and the District of ... |
![]() WUSF 89.7 News | No More No-Fault? Florida Legislature Tackles Auto Insurance Reform WUSF 89.7 News By Gina Jordan Right now, Florida drivers are required to have $10000 worth of personal injury protection, or PIP, for payout in a crash regardless of who is at fault. Fraudsters have taken advantage of this system, and auto insurance rates are ... Florida Senate Panel Clears PIP Fraud Bill But House Showdown Looms |
Florida auto insurance reform clears Senate hurdle Tampa Bay Business Journal Senate Bill 1860 would amend the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault law, which requires drivers to carry $10000 worth of personal injury protection. Insurance companies and law enforcement agencies favor changing the law because it has left the door open ... Senate Moves PIP Reform Ahead Florida Senate rolls out PIP plan |
![]() Live Insurance News | OAI: Florida Auto Insurance Bills Aim to Protect the State's No-Fault System MarketWatch (press release) Experts say that has forced insurers to raise rates for all consumers, making it a challenge for anyone doing auto insurance comparisons in Florida to find affordable coverage. But a quartet of bills in the state legislature seeks to cut down on ... Florida has yet to find an auto insurance reform consensus among the many opinions |