BASINGSTOKE insurance broker Bennetts Commercial has been acquired by Dorset company Alan & Thomas.

The firm, which has offices on the Woodlands Business Village, in Coronation Road, Basingstoke, will continue to trade under the Bennetts name initially and their existing team of ten staff will all be retained and led by director Carole Lowe, who has been with the firm for five years.

She said: “As a team we are delighted to become part of the Alan & Thomas Insurance Group. We have witnessed over recent years how they have grown their business and profile and we are looking forward to working with them to build an even more successful office in our region.”

Founded 13 years ago, following a management buyout of the commercial division of Bennetts GB, Bennetts Commercial provides risk management advice and bespoke insurance solutions for a wide range of businesses throughout Hampshire and beyond.

Julian Boughton, chief executive officer of Poole-based Alan & Thomas, said: “To begin 2015 by adding Bennetts to the A&T Group is a great coup for us.

“We were well aware of the solid business that they had built since 2002 and we are looking forward to working with the team in Basingstoke to grow the business even further.”

“By having a presence in Hampshire we can now offer our products and services to businesses and private individuals in the Hampshire and M3-M4 corridor area in a more focussed way.

“This is another step in our plan to create an even larger hub office footprint in the south of England.”