Dickson & Co buys Morrison Associates

Northern Ireland broker Dickson & Co has furthered its plans for expansion with the acquisition of Morrison Associates, a Limavady-based brokerage.

The deal follows its recent acquisition of E. McParland Insurances of earlier in 2021 and will see Dickson & Co grow its reach, with seven offices in Northern Ireland alongside its recent expansion into the Midlands.

Ashley Dickson, managing director of Dickson & Co, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Morrison’s and McParland’s into our family business. Eric Morrison and Sharon Armstrong, and Manny McParland all share our desire to offer high quality insurance advice delivered locally across Northern Ireland”

“We intend to make further acquisitions to grow our business and to widen our presence throughout the province. We expect to announce further acquisitions early next year,” he continued.

Growth
According to the broker, the business now trades with a premium value of nearly £30m and has managed to seal 10 acquisition deals in its 29 years of trading.

Over the past two years, the broker has also added two additional directors to its board, Gavin Mitchell and Lynette McKeown, who have experience across broking and underwriting in both the insurance markets of both Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

The broker notes that expansion of the business will be supported by the firm’s recent investment in its training academy.

History
Founded in 1992 by Ashley Dickson and his wife Ruth, also a director and shareholder, the business remains completely family owned.

Their four sons are all involved in the business, which employs almost 100 staff. The Dickson family is also known for its farming and property-owning operations as well as motorsport.

The Company also trades in the Republic of Ireland under its Dickson & Wilson Insurance Brokers brand, after having acquired and rebranded Gunn Robinson Brokers in 2019. The business is jointly owned and operated with Wilson Insurance Brokers.  

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