Our history

esure past and present

esure was founded in 2000 by chairman Sir Peter Wood – a direct selling pioneer, who visualised the potential of direct-selling insurance over the telephone 15 years earlier, with the launch of Direct Line.

At the turn of the millennium he set his sights on the potential of the internet, with his aim to streamline the process of buying car and home insurance, and passing on those savings to his careful, responsible customers.

After just two years esure’s largest office in Glasgow – the Equinox, had already exceeded its predicted five year growth of staff, hiring more than 400 people in the first two. The success of the Equinox was recognised a year later, with the then First Minster of Scotland choosing the Glasgow office to host the ‘Financial Services Strategy Group for Scotland’ launch – which chairman Peter Wood sat on.

Within three years esure’s business had grown to provide their careful customers with travel and pet insurance. It was also at this time, the vibrant pink Sheilas' Wheels was launched – initially a car insurance provider for women, the brand grew exponentially, and is one of the most recognised insurers in the UK (Sheilas’ Wheels now offers car insurance to both men and women, as well as home and travel).

Testament to esure’s business strategy, within five years it became one of the fastest growing insurers ever, receiving countless awards for its cover, online services, and creative marketing – calm down dear! At the turn of esure’s fifth birthday they had already acquired an impressive one million customers.

By 2011 esure had moved into the broker market, to cater to drivers who don’t necessarily fit with the usual insuring criteria. Those who may own high performance cars or have a few points on their licence could now be part of esure.

Within the next couple of years esure grew from strength to strength and began trading on the London Stock Exchange in 2013 as esureGroup plc. By March 2015 GoCompare had become part of the group, but operated separately in terms of GoCompare’s comparison and partnership services.

Fast forward to today, and esure has changed a lot over the past 15 years. From employing 50 members of staff in Wallington, Surrey to over 1500 members of staff across the UK.

esure has certainly thrived over the years – to find out how we could help you with your insurance needs, visit our product pages to find out more.