Octo Insurance Brokers sets up helpline to help businesses affected by Union St Fire in Glasgow

On Sunday 8th March, a devastating fire tore through a B-listed Victorian building in Glasgow city centre, leaving many small businesses completely without premises, or else unable to operate as usual. 

While the blaze has directly damaged premises within the affected building, the wider impact is expected to reach far beyond the immediate site. Road and rail closures, restricted access and reduced footfall are disrupting trading for businesses across surrounding streets in the city centre. 

Free insurance advice for local businesses

As a Glaswegian company committed to our local area, we have established a 24/7 helpline for any businesses affected by the fire. The purpose of the helpline is to extend free expertise from our insurance specialists to help businesses navigate their existing insurance policies at this stressful time, and will operational for four weeks. 

Our expert team are on hand to offer free advice on what support may be available within existing policies, including potential claims relating to property damage, business interruption and extensions that may apply where businesses are unable to trade due to access restriction. 

The response to the initiative has been positive, with many local businesses coming forward and taking advantage of the free support, helped by local press publicising the help available. 

Supporting Glasgow businesses 

Talking to the press about the initiative from Octo Insurance Brokers, Founding Director Domenico Davis has said: “When something like this happens, the complexity of insurance policies can become overwhelming for business owners who are already dealing with a stressful situation. Our priority is to help people understand what options are available to them and ensure they are making full use of the protection they have in place.

“We launched Octo last summer to bring back a more personal, relationship-led approach to insurance broking, combining experience with data-led insight to support clients properly when they need it most. Situations like this are exactly when having the right guidance can make a meaningful difference. Having been born and raised in Glasgow, seeing an iconic piece of architecture go up in flames is sobering, so we want to do what we can to help.”

If your business has been affected by the fire on Union St, whether directly or indirectly, we would encourage you to get in touch on our helpline today on 0141 846 0647 for a free review of your existing insurance cover, and to understand the options available to you.