Specialist insurance broker Basil Fry & Company has recently moved to new offices in Leatherhead, Surrey.

The new larger premises are located in the centre of the town just a few hundred metres from the company’s previous home at Claire House in Bridge Street. The modern two-storey building provides an excellent working environment for Basil Fry’s 40-strong workforce and is equipped with the latest technology to further streamline the business and improve service to customers.

“Our business has grown substantially since we moved into Claire House in 2007 and we’d been considering moving for a while,” said Director Greg Wildman. “Our lease was within the last two years of its life and the landlord was keen to sell the freehold for redevelopment, so when these offices became available it was too good a chance to miss.”

Basil Fry & Company is owned by Greg and his brother Philip.  “In 2007 when Philip and I purchased the company we had about five hundred UK removers insuring through us and this has grown over the last seven years to just short of fifteen hundred.  With the rapid growth of self storage clients managed predominantly by Peter Doman and Bob Tree,  this growth has required us to hire many more staff and mould them in the Basil Fry way, helping them to develop keen eyes for detail and having service and expertise at the centre of everything they do.”

The 5,700 sq ft office in Leatherhead’s Swan Centre has been fitted out by Evolution Interiors using state-of-the-art furnishings and materials. Evolution also handled the construction of glass walled offices within the building and the installation of IT equipment. Long-term customer White & Company carried out the main move while Clockwork undertook the removal and re-use of redundant office furniture and equipment.

“This was a rare opportunity for us to give something back to our customers, so we decided rather than going to tender, we’d use our clients wherever we could,” said Greg. “White & Company were Basil Fry’s first client and have moved us three times in the last eleven years.  They have been loyal customers for over 40 years, so remain the obvious choice for the removal work.  Evolution and Clockwork are also major clients of ours and we are delighted with the work that all three companies have put in to assist us with this transition.”

Basil Fry & Company was founded in 1970 by the eponymous Mr Fry - a City broker with particular expertise in removals and storage. He had spotted a gap in the market and began running his fledgling business from home. Now, things are very different, but Basil’s traditional values and service based on specialist knowledge and experience are still at the heart of the business today.

In 2007 present Managing Director Philip Wildman spearheaded a Management Buy Out and together with his fellow directors, including brother Greg, began adopting a more technological approach to the business that paid dividends throughout the recession.  The company engaged with Sirius Financial Systems Plc to provide their leading cloud-based IT package for insurance brokers. This sits alongside Basil Fry’s marine certification system developed by Moveman and is a firm favourite with clients. 

Basil Fry has been a member of BAR’s Broker Panel since its inception. One of the unique selling points is the delegated authority the company has for settling household goods and personal effects claims. This work is carried out by Removal Claims Services, the company’s in house claims settlement arm.  More recently Basil Fry has become closely involved with the Self Storage Association and has advised many of its members on their risk management measures and insurance requirements.

Basil Fry & Company’s new address is Swan House, Swan Centre, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AH.  Telephone numbers and e-mail addresses remain unchanged.

Photos: Top: left to right: Peter Doman, Susanna Hudson, David Pite, Phillip Wildman, Greg Wildman, and Bob Tree; middle: the move was carried out by long-tern Basil Fry client Whaite & Co.