Weston-super-mare Pier

Location

North Somerset

The Incident

The historic pier had just been refurbished by new owners when it was devastated by fire in July 2008. All the services, including bars, food stalls and games booths, were completely destroyed, and the cast iron structure below the wood sustained considerable damage.

Our Response

We put together a team of specialists to cover both the material damage and business interruption. Our experts had to demonstrate how the business would have performed had the fire not occurred, a task that was further complicated by the previous owners’ failure to record historical management information. Our extensive research on the tourist industry, focussing on the south west and other piers, meant we were able to prove that ‘staycations’ were fuelling growth in the UK market, and that a strong upward trend should therefore be incorporated in the compensation calculations. This was reinforced by the CEO of a leading theme park, who endorsed the financial aspects of the claim we proposed.

The Outcome

As a result of the team’s efforts, we achieved the maximum sums available under the policy. The pier was totally rebuilt, opening to record crowds in October 2010. Owner Kerry Michael was delighted with the outcome, acknowledging that ‘They made a big impact as soon as we appointed them. We are convinced that their professionalism and diligence secured a very satisfactory result for us.’