New owners for Winchester's largest private firm (From Hampshire Chronicle)

New owners for Winchester's largest private firm

3:50pm Friday 30th December 2011 in Chronicle Business By Warwick Payne

DENPLAN, the largest private employer in Winchester, has a new owner in a £115m deal.

Simplyhealth based in Andover is taking over the dental insurance firm, which employs 320 people.

It will be staying in Winchester as part of the deal, and there have been no announcements of any job losses.

Denplan, which was founded in 1986, has been owned by the global AXA group for the past 12 years.

Since the company – which is based at Victoria Road in Winchester – was launched 25 years ago, it has gone from strength to strength.

It is now the largest provider of private dental payment plans and employer-funded schemes in Britain.

Its managing director, Steve Gates, said the transfer from AXA’s ownership to Simplyhealth was a good move.

He said: “We are confident that we will benefit from the fact that Simplyhealth is solely focused on health, as well as being a UK-based organisation based on mutual principles which share similar values and ethos as Denplan.”

He added: “This change also provides Denplan with some very exciting opportunities to further enhance the services and support that we can provide our clients, our employees and the wider Hampshire community as Denplan will remain in Winchester and Simplyhealth has three offices in Andover.

“As we go forward into 2012, our absolute focus will remain on supporting our people.”

Its new parent company, Simplyhealth, is the largest provider of private healthcare insurance plans in Britain.

It was formed by joining several companies in the healthcare sector over the past decade, of which Denplan is the latest recruit.

Simplyhealth chief executive Des Benjamin said: “By joining with companies that share common values, we have been building a strong organisation for the future that can help more people, in more ways, to look after their health.

“Our goal is to become an important, high quality part of the new health system as it emerges over the next few years. The acquisition of Denplan is an important step on this journey.

“Denplan will find a strong and natural, strategic home within Simplyhealth. Both companies share a strong focus on customer service based on a fundamental belief in helping people access high quality healthcare and a culture and ethos which promotes staff engagement.”

Denplan currently has 1.8m private customers along with 1,900 commercial ones and 140 independent schools.

The company is also the main sponsor of Winchester City FC, and its ground in Abbotts Barton is named after the firm.