Open + Direct win Courts retail credit account business

Open + Direct’s Retail Services division has announced the signing of a major contract with furniture retail multiple Courts.

Open + Direct will provide retail credit throughout Courts’ 100-strong store chain and six Sleep Centres.

Courts decided to switch a portion of its retail credit business to Belfast-based Open + Direct to benefit from increased acceptance levels and a new service from Open + Direct, the Retailer Enhancement Programme.

This programme provides a complete package of added value marketing and sales support initiatives for retailers including sales and credit training and customer profiling.

Courts Director of UK Credit Ron Hiller said: “Open + Direct’s commitment to superior service levels and professional approach is very impressive.

"Our customers are extremely important to us and with Open + Direct we are confident that they will receive excellent customer service”.

Open + Direct Chief Executive Officer Paul Elliott said Courts’ decision to choose Open + Direct was extremely positive news: “We are delighted that Courts, one of the biggest brands in the furniture retail market, has selected Open + Direct to offer retail credit services through its stores.

"We believe that we can offer real benefits to Courts and its customers through our high service levels and efficient real time system and we look forward to working alongside them.”

The Open + Direct Group employs nearly 400 staff in its two main business divisions, consumer lending and insurance broking.

The consumer lending business provides credit to retailer and insurance brokers throughout the UK and Ireland. It delivers credit via its advanced realtime credit management systems that allow credit to be provided in store in a matter of seconds. It is the only credit provider that is linked on a real-time basis with the Irish Credit Bureau.

The insurance broking business provides a range of insurance products to individuals and companies. In GB it operates under the Footman James brand which is a leading specialist broker for classic car insurance and in Northern Ireland it is one of the leading personal lines brokers and under Open + Direct brand in Northern Ireland.

The group was acquired in May 2002 in a management buy-out, backed by Alchemy Partners, from Viridian.

(SP)