THIRTEEN new staff moved into the Darwen headquarters of fast-growing private medical insurance specialist Chase Templeton after it completed its biggest-ever company purchase.

It brings the workforce in the town up to 80 compared to 35 when they moved into the two storey offices in Arkwright Court from the Blackburn Enterprise Centre in December 2013.

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The new staff have transferred en-bloc from Rochdale-based business Atlas Consulting Group, whose takeover was completed by Chase Templeton boss Warren Dickson last week.

The purchase is part of the firm’s “buy and build” strategy which has seen 49 acquisitions in the last two years but is by far the biggest move made by the health protection firm.

Atlas will bring in £13.8m of annual income driven mainly by larger enterprises and corporate clients.

It fits with the work of the Darwen office building on its existing range of private medical insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Chase Templeton has a second office in Bridgewater, Somerset, employing 20 staff, which deals with private health protection.

The staff moving to Darwen have come direct from Atlas’s office in Drake Street, Rochdale but the firm’s co-founders and directors Jon Tuer and Liz Magnall are leaving the company to focus on interests outside insurance.

The deal, which is the fifth the company has concluded this year and the 49th since it secured the backing of Palatine Private Equity in 2013, means the broker now generates more than £125 million in annual premium income.

Chase Templeton chief executive Mr Dickson said: “Not only is this the biggest deal we have concluded, strategically it is one of the most important .”

Chase Templeton now employs nearly 100 staff, almost twice as many as when Dickson was appointed in March 2013 following the securing of financial backing from the Palatine private equity group backing.

The company, which was founded in 2002, now protects over 110,000 lives.