White Van Man Stereotype Parked

(PRWEB UK) 29 May 2012

New research from Tesco Bank reveals that the outdated White Van Man stereotype has officially been parked.

The research*, which has been released to coincide with the launch of Tesco Van Insurance, found that van drivers themselves reject the stereotype – 70% say they have never shouted at or had altercations with other drivers on the road and far from being careless drivers, nearly three-quarters (74%) said they took pride in their van’s appearance, boasting they have no dents or scratches.

The research also revealed the growing phenomenon of women who drive white vans, largely as a result of nearly half (47%) of van drivers being self-employed and more women starting their own business. Some 15% of female van drivers are florists and just under 10% are tradespeople

Julie Hopes, Managing Director, Insurance at Tesco Bank, comments:
“While white remains the colour of choice for commercial vans (30%), our research has firmly dispelled the outdated White Van Man stereotype. And with more and more women running their own business, an increasing number of female van drivers are taking to the roads.”

The findings come as Tesco Bank extends its insurance portfolio with the launch of Tesco Van Insurance in response to customer demand. With van drivers spending an average of 7.5 hours a day in their van, Tesco Van Insurance has been designed to give businesses a comprehensive insurance cover in one place - helping to keep them on the road, whatever happens.

The comprehensive cover includes mobile repairs, a courtesy van, lock and key cover, legal cover, foreign use cover and a lifetime guarantee on repairs, as standard.** A payment holiday scheme has also been built into the cover for Tesco Clubcard customers, enabling a month’s payment holiday on insurance premium instalments up to twice a year.*** Customers can also add on Tesco Tradesman Insurance if they need public and employers’ liability insurance or cover for tools and equipment to further bolster their cover. Customers should go online at http://www.tescobank.com/van or call 0845 835 3744 for a competitive quote and to view the full policy details.

Julie Hopes, continues:
“We understand that commercial vans are an essential part of the smooth running of many businesses, particularly for those van drivers who are self-employed. We have listened to our customers and, in response, have introduced a product which offers comprehensive and competitive cover to ensure commercial van drivers stay on the road at all times.”

Among other findings, the research revealed a few surprises:

   •      24% of van drivers are aspiring musicians, 25% are glued to documentaries on the TV, and 22% love going on long walks
   •     20% say Greece is their preferred holiday destination, followed closely by the USA (18%)
   •     28% have beach holidays, compared with 18% who typically go camping
   •     56% are looking for love, and 14% believe that being a White Van Man has helped their ability to woo
   •     79% admit they are not bothered by their traditional image, and even revel in their rebellious reputation.
   •     Eighties hits ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey and ‘The Final Countdown’ by Europe were the joint favourite (12%) guilty pleasures to sing along to while driving

Tesco Van Insurance and Tesco Tradesman Insurance are sold, administered and underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc.

**Exclusions and conditions apply.

*** Terms and conditions apply.

For media enquiries please contact: Jo Sim, Tesco Bank, jo.sim(at)tescobank(dot)com, 0131 479 1346. Risha Parmar or Gabriella Heard, Fishburn Hedges, tescobank(at)fishburn-hedges(dot)co(dot)uk, 020 7839 4321.

Notes to Editors:

*The research was conducted by OnePoll between 27/4/12 and 1/5/12. 1,000 full-time workers who use a commercial van for their job were surveyed.

Tesco Van Insurance

   •     Tesco Van Insurance is arranged, administered and underwritten by AXA Insurance plc.
   •     Tesco Van Insurance offers a 10% Clubcard discount, mobile repairs and a courtesy van. Exclusions and conditions apply.
   •     Tesco Van Insurance provides 3 levels of cover to choose from to best meet your needs. These are comprehensive (Comp), third party fire & theft (TPFT) or third party only (TPO). See Tescobank.com/van for full policy details.
   •     Tesco Tradesman Insurance is sold, underwritten and administered by AXA Insurance UK plc, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
   •     The Tesco Tradesman Insurance policy provides public liability cover as standard and the ability to select from a range of other optional covers to individuals business needs. The optional covers include personal accident, tools, own plant and equipment, hired in plant, contract works and employers liability.

Tesco Bank

   •  Tesco Bank is the UK’s largest supermarket bank. Since our launch in 1997, we have grown to 6.5 million customer accounts across a range of financial products and services.
   •  Our principal activities are credit cards, savings, personal loans and general insurance including car, home, pet and travel. We also operate a network of cash machines (ATMs).
   •  Customers can buy our products in-store, by telephone and online. Headquartered in Edinburgh, all our call centres and sales staff are based in the UK.
   •  Tesco Bank is a trading name of Tesco Personal Finance plc. Registered in Scotland No. 173199. Registered Address: Interpoint Building, 22 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh, EH12 5BH. About AXA Commercial Direct

AXA is one of the largest general insurers in the UK and underwrites a broad range of products for individuals and businesses. AXA Commercial Direct offers business insurance for sole traders, the self-employed and small businesses.
The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management serving 101 million clients. It is ranked the largest insurer in the world by net written premium and the top insurance brand globally.
In the UK AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Wealth; AXA Commercial Lines, AXA Personal Lines, AXA PPP healthcare, AXA Ireland and an independent distribution business Bluefin. AXA employs over 13,000 staff in the UK.
For full year 2011, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 86.1 billion and IFRS underlying earnings to Euro 3.9 billion. AXA had Euro 1,079 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2011.

The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISIN FR0000120628 – Bloomberg: CS FP – Reuters: AXAF.PA). AXA’s American Depositary Share is also quoted on the OTC QX platform under the ticker symbol AXAHY.

The AXA Group is included in the main international SRI indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4GOOD.

AXA’s previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
Any opinions expressed in this media communication are made as at the date of this publication but are subject to change without notice.

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