Known for putting ‘the fun in insurance’, Markerstudy Group has gone one step further, celebrating its rapid growth and achievements over the last 12 months with the first ever ‘Markerstudy Day’ on Friday 30th November, raising £3,623.73 for a number of charities.

Around 1,200 Markerstudy Group staff from Auto Windscreens to Zenith Insurance threw themselves into the spirit of the day, ‘auctioning’ themselves off to colleagues and submitting photos for an internal ‘studs and babes’ calendar in aid of the Rhys Daniels Trust and The Pickering Cancer Drop in Centre. Mechanics and engineers at TCW Vehicle Repair Group in Canterbury cleaned customer’s cars in fancy dress, while the Solihull branch braved plummeting temperatures in mankinis, in aid of Help for Heroes.

Group employees across the country, and as far afield as Gibraltar, arrived at offices decorated with balloons and banners dressed in their pyjamas, as superheroes, stage and screen icons and fictional characters. Staff pulled out all the stops, arranging cake sales and ‘cook-offs’, golf putting and table tennis tournaments, virtual cycle rides and quizzes, for good causes including Demelza, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Barnardo’s. Further excitement was generated by the ‘Massive Markerstudy Gift Giveaway’, with staff winning an item of jewellery or watch every 20 seconds, worth from £50 to over £13,000.

Lizzie Smith-Foreman, Head of Group Marketing and Communications, said: “We wanted to dedicate a day to celebrate our growth and success as a group, and this was the perfect way to thank all our staff for their hard work over the past year. In true Markerstudy style, everyone threw themselves into the day and putting the ‘fun’ into fundraising!”

Note to Editors:

The Markerstudy Group includes the insurance arm of the business: Markerstudy Insurance Company Limited and Zenith Insurance plc (acquired in January 2010) plus supporting companies Markerstudy Limited and Zenith Insurance Management UK Limited, providing distribution, claims and administrative support. The following brands operate within the Markerstudy Retail Division: The Insurance Factory, Insurance Factory.com, Insurance Shop, Insurance Factory Commercial, Mobilers and Caterer’s Club, all of which offer value and choice to a wide range of customers.

Wessex Finance, a sub-prime lending and premium finance facility is also an integral part of the Markerstudy Group.

In addition, The Markerstudy Group encompasses Auto Windscreens, which joined the Group in February 2011, and Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group, acquired in June 2011.

For further information, contact:

Lizzy Crofts

Group PR Executive, Markerstudy Group

E: lcrofts@markerstudy.com

T: 0844 854 8713

W: www.markerstudy.com

Markerstudy Group, known primarily for insurance brands, kicked off its first ever industry-wide 5-a-side Football Championship at Hampton & Richmond Borough FC (HRBFC) in October, raising a total of £28,975, which was split between the club and the charity Help for Heroes.

The sun shone and the rain played away as more than 150 players in 20 teams from national insurance and motoring companies, including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hastings Direct and Zenith Insurance, battled it out during the knock-out tournament. Auto Windscreens’ ‘AW White Lightning’ were ’on the ball’, beating off stiff competition to finally lift the winner’s trophy.

Steve McPherson, Chairman of HRBFC, said: “I’d like to thank the Markerstudy Group for this exceptionally kind donation to the club. They have been great supporters of the club for a long time now and their continued generosity will help us in the growth of our Academy and Community programmes. Also this will give the club a boost through the winter months when the weather can sometimes lead to long runs without a home game."

Bryn Parry, OBE, CEO and Co-Founder of Help for Heroes commented: “Help for Heroes is all about ‘doing your bit’ and the football tournament organised by Markerstudy Group is a wonderful example of people having a good idea, rallying support and having a great deal of fun while they raise money for a wonderful cause. We have been able to use the millions of pounds raised, over £150m in five years, to provide practical, direct support to wounded, injured and sick Service personnel, veterans and their families. We may not be able to prevent them from being hurt, but together, we can help them get better.”

Lizzie Smith-Foreman, Head of Group Marketing and Communications, added: “We’re delighted the day raised such an impressive amount for Help for Heroes and for the football club – it highlights the generosity of our colleagues and friends in the industry. We’re very grateful to HRBFC for making the tournament possible and for providing us with fantastic hospitality. We hope to make this event a permanent annual fixture in the calendar.”

Note to Editors:

The Markerstudy Group includes the insurance arm of the business: Markerstudy Insurance Company Limited and Zenith Insurance plc (acquired in January 2010) plus supporting companies Markerstudy Limited and Zenith Insurance Management UK Limited, providing distribution, claims and administrative support. The following brands operate within the Markerstudy Retail Division: The Insurance Factory, Insurance Factory.com, Insurance Shop, Insurance Factory Commercial, Mobilers and Caterer’s Club, all of which offer value and choice to a wide range of customers.

Wessex Finance, a sub-prime lending and premium finance facility is also an integral part of the Markerstudy Group.

In addition, The Markerstudy Group encompasses Auto Windscreens, which joined the Group in February 2011, and Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group, acquired in June 2011.

For further information, contact:

Lizzy Crofts

Group PR Executive, Markerstudy Group

E: lcrofts@markerstudy.com

T: 0844 854 8713

W: www.markerstudy.com

Automotive glazing supplier Auto Windscreens has bagged its first deal in the retail sector with supermarket Morrisons.

Auto Windscreens successfully completed a three month trial for Morrisons in Kent and Glasgow, to check out processes, procedures and service at both ends of the country. It has now been named the sole glazing provider for the fleet of commercial vehicles delivering products from nine distribution centres to 480 stores around the UK. Auto Windscreens expects to undertake around 450 jobs annually on Morrisons’ vehicles, which, depending on the time of year, number between 650-750.

Auto Windscreens’ Sales Director, Joy Cooper, said: "Winning the Morrisons account is a huge coup for us. Its vehicles operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and work to very tight deadlines, so it requires the highest standard of service from its suppliers. We’re proud to be working with Morrisons and look forward to helping it keep its commercial vehicles on the road."

John Ward, Head of the Vehicle Maintenance Unit at Morrisons, said: "Auto Windscreens demonstrated a commitment to deliver the right solution in terms of service delivery and price competitiveness, and we’re pleased to have them on board.”

Auto Windscreens has grown significantly in the last year, opening new fitting centres in the South East, Wales and the East Midlands, and expanding its national and regional sales teams to meet increased customer demand. For more information about Auto Windscreens, call 0800 999 5000 or visit www.autowindscreens.co.uk. For more information about Morrisons, visit www.morrisons.co.uk.

Note to Editors:

Auto Windscreens is owned by Trifords Limited, part of the Markerstudy Group. It is a leading automotive glazing company, serving customers throughout the UK and across all sectors from managed fleet to insurance. With a nationwide network of fitting centres and backed by a fleet of mobile service units, Auto Windscreens is an expert in windscreen repair and automotive glass replacement. The company head office and dedicated contact centre is based in Chesterfield.

For further information, contact:

Lizzy Crofts

Group PR Executive, Markerstudy Group

E: lcrofts@markerstudy.com

T: 0844 854 8713

W: www.markerstudy.com

Markerstudy Group has completed the acquisition of Insurance Choice, the Leamington Spa based broker and call centre.

This purchase presents clear synergies with the group’s existing strategy. The retail division, led by Russell Bence, handles both personal lines and commercial insurance and specialises in offering a solution to customers who have difficult or specific insurance needs.

Insurance Choice will boost the Group’s GWP by £35m and 100 additional staff.

Kevin Spencer, Group CEO, advised: "We extend a warm welcome to the employees of Insurance Choice. This latest move reaffirms our belief in the broker channel, provides numerous economies of scale and gets us very close to GWP £100m for our retail division".

Note to Editors:

The Markerstudy Group includes the insurance arm of the business: Markerstudy Insurance Company Limited, Zenith Insurance plc (acquired in January 2010) plus supporting companies Markerstudy Limited and Zenith Insurance Management UK Limited, providing distribution, claims and administrative support. St Julian’s is the MFSA regulated Insurance company writing EL/PL classes for the Group.

The following brands operate within the Markerstudy Retail Division: Blagrove Insurance Brokers, Caterer’s Club, Equesure, Insurance Choice, Insurance Factory.com, Insurance Factory Commercial, Insurance Shop, Mobilers, The Insurance Factory and Thames City Insurance, all of which offer value and choice to a wide range of customers.

In addition, The Markerstudy Group encompasses Auto Windscreens, which joined the Group in February 2011, Tonbridge Coachworks Vehicle Repair Group, acquired in June 2011 and Vision Vehicle Solutions Limited, purchased in December 2012.

For further information, contact:

Lizzy Crofts

Group PR Executive, Markerstudy Group

E: lcrofts@markerstudy.com

T: 0844 854 8713

W: www.markerstudy.com