MUTUAL insurance, retirement and investment group LV=, which has its head office at County Gates on the Poole and Bournemouth border, has reported an increase in sales.

Releasing its Q3 figures for 2014 for the nine months to the end of September, group CEO, Mike Rogers, of the friendly society, which employs around 2,000 people in the area, said sales so far this year had “been good in a challenging market”.

Life business sales were up £100 million compared to this time last year, with £400 million of sales in the last three months.

In protection, sales in the last quarter were up £24 million year-on-year Mr Rogers said: “In general insurance, we continue to diversify away from motor, with SME growth promising with sales up £23 million compared to this time in 2013, and we now insure over 800,000 homes and cover 800,000 customers against car breakdown.

“We are proud to have recently been voted Insurer of the Year at the UK Broker Awards, demonstrating our commitment in both commercial and personal lines to an excellent level of service for brokers. The portfolio split, with three million of our customers in car insurance, is reflected in overall GWP, which is down compared to 2013, primarily driven by lower rates in motor, where we continue to see pressure on premiums.

He finished: “I believe our focus on being easy to do business with, caring for our customers, and offering good value products means we are well placed to deliver satisfactory results at year-end.