TO MARK the first anniversary of its launch, Greenbee.com has entered the specialist, high net-worth home insurance market.
The company, which offers leisure and financial services selected by the John Lewis Partnership, is targeting people with a second home or an unusual property.
Around 800,000 British households own a property abroad, with 1.1 million adults planning to buy overseas within three years. In the UK alone, about 700,000 properties are currently owned as second homes, with over a third likely to be used as holiday homes.
The specialist property market, including thatched, flat-roof and listed buildings, can present problems for homeowners looking to insure their out-of-the ordinary homes
To meet this demand, Greenbee has created Specialist Home Insurance, in association with Sterling Insurance Ltd. It will be one of just six policies in the UK that can be purchased direct, giving customers the opportunity to talk to an
underwriter.
It has also launched into the pet insurance market this week. James Furse, managing director of Greenbee.com, said: "We have launched 12 services and products in the last year.
"Key has been insurance products. We now have home, travel, wedding, specialist and pet. Home insurance has been the winning product. This fits with our John Lewis and Waitrose customer base.
"A year on, we're now keen to get people to realise we're part of the John Lewis Partnership. For example, we'll be finding relevant ways to target customers in-store."
Greenbee.com products are currently not on price comparison sites, such as Moneysuperket.com, but Furse says this is under review.
His concern is sites' focus on price at the expense of other features and this may not be in the best interest of the customer.
