Member Article

European insurance firm Covéa set to create 140 Halifax jobs

European mutual insurance group Covéa Insurance is set to expand its presence in Halifax and increase their workforce by 140.

Sheffield based contractor and developer, JF Finnegan, has been appointed to transform two historic mill buildings into 75,000 sq ft of new offices at the Dean Clough development in Halifax for Covéa to support their continued growth.

The firm’s 510 staff will be boosted to some 650 by mid-2016 and the move to Dean Clough is to address their current and future space needs.

Dean Clough is a privately-owned business community of over 4,000 people in Halifax. The 22 acre site was once the world’s largest carpet factory and is home to over 140 businesses.

JF Finnegan has been awarded a 12 month contract to fully refurbish two mill buildings to deliver 50,000 sq ft and 25,000 sq ft of office accommodation over the two buildings.

Work is scheduled to start on site in December 2014 and once complete will see local employer Covéa Insurance occupying both mills to support their growing business.

Gary Smith, managing director of JF Finnegan, commented; “Mill buildings such as these play an important part of the region’s heritage and we are delighted to be sensitively restoring them and bringing them back into use as high quality offices.

“Having worked on similar historic schemes such as Butcher Works and Wards Exchange in Sheffield, we are utilising our experience in this field and approaching the project with the same attention to detail.”

Jeremy Hall, chairman and managing director of Dean Clough Ltd, said; “We are thrilled to be working with the Covéa Insurance team to restore these wonderful buildings for their business.”

“Dean Clough’s latter-day success has been wholly dependent on relationships that are based on shared values and aspirations.

“The partnership with Covéa Insurance is yet another illustration of this and will bring the last of the remaining large mills back into creative use.

“This project and our partnership with Covéa Insurance will broaden the Dean Clough experience and will lead to the next exciting stages of its development.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .