Aviva will shut three UK offices by end of 2016
INSURER Aviva is to close three of its UK offices by the end of 2016, as part of the integration with Friends Life.
The group confirmed yesterday that it will shut its operations in Salford, Salisbury and Stretford, and will reduce its presence in Dorking, Exeter and Manchester.
The firm’s core UK locations will be Bristol, Norwich, Perth, Sheffield and York, while Aviva group headquarters will remain in London.
Aviva said any job cuts occurring as a result of its integration with Friends Life, which it bought in April for £5.6bn, would fall within the 1,500 role reductions revealed in January this year.
When Friends Life and Aviva combined, they brought together around 3,700 and 16,000 UK employees respectively.
A spokesman for the company said yesterday: “We have previously said that we expect to deliver approximately £225m of annual savings by the end of 2017 as a result of the Friends Life acquisition.”
He added: “Savings are expected to come from a number of areas, including simplifying the business and reducing property costs.”
In a statement yesterday, the insurer said it appreciates “this is disappointing and difficult news for some of our employees”, and added: “We will look to minimise the impact by offering redeployment opportunities where possible.”
Shares in Aviva were down by 1.75 per cent yesterday.