BMC secures multi-million pound contract with Friends Life

Banner Managed Communication has signed a three-year deal to provide marketing print and warehousing services for pension provider Friends Life.

The contract, which was won from incumbent Williams Lea after a competitive tender process, is rumoured to be a multi-million pound deal per year of its duration.

Effective from this month the company will provide marketing print services, business stationery and direct mail fulfilment as well as warehousing and distribution services for the pension provider.

An account management team will be deployed to Friends Life’s Bristol and Salisbury sites to support their marketing operations while the BMC will also have involvement in print buying activities for the pension company’s Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Germany offices.

The contract has been described as a streamlining of operations at Friends Life following the acquisitions over the past two years, by parent company Resolution UK, of majority stakes in Axa's UK life assurance businesses and Bupa Health Assurance.

Commenting on BMC’s latest win managing director Catherine Burke said: "We look forward to building a close strategic business partnership with Friends Life and we’re confident that the benefits of a more efficient and integrated way of working will be felt throughout the organisation."

It is the latest in a string of major contract wins for BMC with the firm winning a three-year print management contract with Carphone Warehouse earlier this year followed by a £10m deal with Hastings Direct.

Friends Life head of marketing services Karen Burrell said: "We have put an enormous amount of time and effort into selecting the right long-term partner for these business-critical activities.

As well as a proven track record of managing large-scale print projects, it was essential that our chosen supplier could demonstrate a deep understanding of our business and market."