Nationwide Accident Repair Services plc has opened a second site in Bristol extending its network of national bodyshops to 72. This consolidates Nationwide’s presence in the south west, having also acquired a bodyshop in Redruth earlier this year.

This new centre, which includes a state-of-the-art 15,000 sq foot workshop has been designed to accommodate the needs of our insurer, dealer and retail customers. The site also enjoys the benefit of excellent customer facilities, together with extensive car parking.

Situated in Camwal Court, Chapel Street, this bodyshop has created more than 20 jobs for staff and specialist technicians, with further opportunities anticipated as the business grows. With Nationwide’s continued investment in the development of its people, through its apprenticeship programmes and the Nationwide Academy, this provides exciting opportunities for both youngsters and adults in the Bristol area.

Speaking about the new site, Michael Wilmshurst, Nationwide’s Chief Executive, said: “With the opening of this site in Bristol, following shortly after the acquisition of a bodyshop in Redruth, Nationwide has now increased its presence in the south west. Having bought four sites this year we continue to look for additional acquisitions and growth within our existing businesses.”

He went on to add “Nationwide invest a lot time in understanding what our customers are looking for going forward. As a result of this investment in time and resource we have been fortunate to win a number of recent tenders. As well as satisfying the needs of our Insurer and Dealer customers Nationwide also offers a number of Fast Fit options to our retail customers including tyres, wheel refurbishment and valeting services, all of which are available at Bristol”. (close)

Now customers using any Nationwide Crash Repair Centre (NCRC) Bodyshop across the UK can track the progress of their vehicle repairs at the touch of a button, thanks to a brand new service.

This exclusive new benefit, called the Nationwide Vehicle Repair Tracking, is available to insurance companies, fleet customers and individuals through the NCRC website at www.ncrc.co.uk. Individuals wishing to find out how their vehicle repairs are progressing simply need to log on using a registration code unique to their vehicle, to receive up-to-the-minute information about the progress of repairs. Insurance and fleet customers need to apply for a unique user ID and password to access all their vehicles.

The invaluable new service ensures that customers know exactly where their vehicle is and at what stage repairs are at during any given time. It also enables insurance and fleet customers to track their vehicles and keep constantly informed about their progress, so operators can manage their fleets more efficiently and cost-effectively.

Nationwide Vehicle Repair Tracking also offers customers vital information such as estimated repair completion dates, allowing them to plan ahead more effectively. The customers can simply log on to the system at any time of day or night to track their vehicle at every stage of the repair process and gain instant progress reports.

Speaking of how the new service was devised, NCRC Chief Executive Michael Wilmshurst said: “One of the reasons we're the UK market leader in the accident repairs market is that we listen to our customers' views and act on them. Our customer satisfaction research identified that keeping our customers informed was a key issue and the Tracking System addresses this area. The result is Nationwide Vehicle Repair Tracking, which already looks to be a huge success.”

NCRC decided to use their website as the forum for the service because customers can access it anywhere – from the office, on the move, and at home. Using the Internet enables clients to gain the maximum amount of information about their vehicle repairs in the minimum amount of time, at times that are convenient to them.

Nationwide Vehicle Repair Tracking will also reduce phone calls to the bodyshops requesting updates, as receiving progress reports will be quicker and easier online. It will also ensure NCRC staff have more time to concentrate on what they do best – repairing vehicles to the highest standards.

The new service is now available throughout the network, ensuring every customer – insurance company, fleet or individual - can benefit no matter where they are in the UK (close)

Nationwide Network Services is always looking for innovative solutions to support our clients and enhance the customer experience, whilst delivering both cost savings and reduced downtime. With this in mind, we have recently launched:

Having developed a specially equipped van and unique Mobile Restore capsule, we are now able to provide on-site body repairs to cars and LCV’s.

We currently have three units working at car hire refurbishment locations in the Midlands working to provide an embedded service for ‘end of life’ refurbishments and ‘in life’ requirements, along with the flexibility to re-deploy each of the vans across the UK as required. The service consists of:

Repairs & paint rectifications to restore to original condition damage to bumpers, wings, quarters, sills, front & rear panels, pillars, tailgates, bonnets & roofs.
Highly trained & skilled paint & bodywork technician to carry out work to the highest technical, environmental and health & safety standards.
All weather, all conditions, all year round working.
Maximum speed & throughput from damage to repair completion.
Vans operated by expert trained & accredited body & paint technicians

We have an intensive roll out program for Mobile Restore which will result in a Nationwide service during 2008. (close)

Nationwide Network Services has appointed Julian Welch as Sales Manager. Julian will be working along side Steve Vare to develop new business and raise the companies profile within the Accident Management field.
Julian joins us from Trafficmaster Plc where he was Insurance & Corporate Sales Manager and previous to that held positions as Insurance Client Manager and Sales Manager at RAC Auto Windscreens.

Julian will be responsible for selling to fleet companies, insurers & brokers our ‘tailor made’ Accident Management Solutions, assisting them to improve vehicle downtime and reduce costs. Please call Julian on 07795 400860 to discuss your accident management requirements. (close)

Nationwide Accident Repair Services PLC, the largest dedicated provider of automotive crash repair services in the UK, is pleased to announce the
acquisition of the business of Aquilo Motor Services Ltd, a subsidiary of Aquilo PLC, for a total consideration of £1.275m. The consideration comprises £750,000 in cash and £750,000 of net assets, adjusted for creditors and a rent free period.

Based in Northwich, Cheshire, Aquilo Motor Services Ltd provides comprehensive motor claims management services to insurers, insurance brokers and ffinity groups. Services are provided on a twenty-four hour basis from a contact centre and include full claims management, engineering services, emergency and roadside assistance as well as vehicle repair services and total loss management. For the six months ended 30 June 2006, Aquilo Motor Services Ltd reported unaudited turnover of approximately £6.1 million.

The acquisition enhances Nationwide's existing accident administration capability, adding further services.

Michael Wilmshurst, Chief Executive, said, 'We believe that this is an important and strategic acquisition extending our expertise in 'first notification of loss' handling. It enables us to offer our insurance, fleet, broker and claims management customers a complete support service in the automotive repair market. We now have the capability to handle initial calls, deploy work to customer-designated repair networks, handle and manage claims and offer full vehicle repair services across the UK. Our customers can choose to use all or just part of the service that we offer in a manner that suits their business objectives'.

'Additional benefits of this acquisition include the ability to offer our customers management information throughout the complete claims process. It is
our intention to retain the facilities at Northwich and we look forward to developing the business further'. (close)

Nationwide Crash Repair Centres has just unveiled its new internal management structure with the appointment of Joe McLaughlin and Malcolm Banner as Divisional Managers. As Nationwide continues to pursue its strategy of growth these appointments are aimed at strengthening internal management and promoting consistency across the Group.

Joe McLaughlin has worked for Nationwide since 1994 when J B Stevenson was taken over by the company. He has previously held positions as Northern Regional Manager, General Manager and Training Standards & Methods Manager.

Malcolm Banner joined Nationwide in 2001 as Regional Manager for the Eastern Region, prior to which he held positions as General Manager for a number of Vauxhall dealerships.

“The Divisional Manager’s role is one of the most prestigious roles in the Industry today” says Michael Wilmshurst, CEO. “Although the divisions will be referred to as North and South, Joe and Malcolm will be working very closely together as we continue to pursue our strategy of growth, supported by excellent quality, service and value”. (close)

Nationwide Accident Repair Services plc announces details of its proposed admission to AIM & Placing Nationwide, the largest dedicated provider of accident repair services in the UK, is delighted to announce details relating to its proposed Admission to AIM and Placing.

• Nationwide is placing 15,765,766 Ordinary Shares at 111p per share on behalf of existing shareholders, who will retain 65 per cent. of the issued Ordinary Shares following Admission. Arbuthnot Securities Limited is acting as the Group’s Nominated Adviser and Broker.

• At the Placing Price, Nationwide’s market capitalisation will be approx. £50m.

• Share dealings are expected to commence on 4 July 2006.

• Nationwide operates a network of 69 accident repair centres located across England, Scotland and Wales, providing accident repair services to UK motor insurers and fleet operators.

• Nationwide’s customer base includes insurance companies such as R&SA, Norwich Union, Equity Red Star and Zurich and fleet operators such as DHL.

• In the year to 31 December 2005, Nationwide generated turnover of £140.0m and an operating profit, before non-recurring items, of £4.0m.

• The crash repair market is highly fragmented with an estimated total of 6,717 bodyshops in the UK, nearly half of which are owned by small businesses, operating from a single site or small number of sites.*

• The UK crash repair market is gradually consolidating and as the largest dedicated supplier of accident repair services, Nationwide is well placed to play a major role in the ongoing consolidation of the market.

Michael Wilmshurst, Chief Executive, commented,

“We have worked hard over the last few years to improve the performance of the business and believe that by continuing to focus on our customers’ needs, we can achieve our goal of becoming the accident repair services supplier of choice to the UK insurance industry.

Admission to AIM represents an important step in the growth of our business and we look forward to the future with confidence.”

* according to the 2005 Bodyshop Magazine survey (close)