Jobs hit as Aegon axes Edinburgh sales office

AEGON UK is to axe half of its regional sales centres, as part of the first steps in a sweeping restructuring programme that will see it cut costs by a quarter by the end of 2011.

The Edinburgh-based insurer will close six of its 12 sales centres, with 142 staff across the UK being made redundant. It will also create 36 roles, primarily in its corporate solutions sales team, which deals with workplace savings, and telephone support service, giving a net reduction in headcount of 106.

North of the Border, it will close its Edinburgh sales office, with a single Scottish sales centre being based in Glasgow. The net impact on Scotland will be a reduction in six roles, with 11 people made redundant and five roles created.

The move is designed to help the insurer maintain and develop its relationships with financial advisers. A recent pilot study showed that many advisers value a telephone support service that provides them with the service they need, while being more efficient and less time-consuming for them.

New business processing, previously managed from within regional sales centres, will be centralised to Edinburgh's customer service centre to deliver faster turnaround times for advisers.

Duncan Jarrett, UK sales director for Aegon, said: "We have invested in training and developing one of the most knowledgeable and highly-qualified sales forces in the industry so that we can provide advisers with the support they need as they adapt their businesses for the future. The changes we are announcing will ensure our sales force remains at the leading edge in the years ahead."

Aegon UK is due to announce further details of its restructuring programme by the end of this month.