Sussex Insurance

What Sussex Insurance does

Sussex Insurance is a privately held, British Columbia-based insurance brokerage operating a franchise network of 53 independently owned offices throughout the province. Founded in 1976 in North Vancouver by Ken Armstrong (still President & CEO), the company pioneered franchising in BC's insurance sector in 1989 and has since scaled to locations inside Walmart, Real Canadian Superstore, T&T Supermarkets, and Save On Foods, with extended hours of 9am-9pm seven days a week. The company sells a horizontal portfolio of personal and small commercial lines including ICBC Autoplan auto insurance, home/tenant/condo coverage, travel insurance (exclusively through Tugo), business insurance, marine, and recreational vehicles, plus a proprietary Motomaxx vehicle replacement cost product underwritten by Fortress.

The business model is brokerage commission-based: Sussex places policies with multiple carriers (ICBC, Intact, Aviva, Chubb, CNS, Gore Mutual, Family Insurance, Optimum West, and others) and earns transaction-fee commissions on each policy sold, rather than underwriting risk itself. Distribution relies on in-store franchise foot traffic, a centralized Insurance Service Centre call centre in Langley, the company website's online quote forms, and ICBC's online renewal portal. Sussex claims that 1 in 14 British Columbians transacts their Autoplan at a Sussex location, and the firm employs 251-500 staff. The company is founder- and family-controlled, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, M&A activity, or funding rounds.

Name

Sussex Insurance

Legal name

Sussex Insurance

Website

https://sussexinsurance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sussex Insurance is a British Columbia-based insurance brokerage operating 53 franchise offices inside major retailers, offering auto (ICBC Autoplan), home, travel, business, marine, and recreational insurance to BC consumers and small businesses, generating revenue through carrier commissions since 1976.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Auto insurance brokerage
• Home insurance coverage
• Travel medical insurance
• Business insurance solutions
• Marine and recreational insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

North Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Sussex Insurance operates as an insurance brokerage earning commissions from multiple insurance carriers including ICBC, Intact, Aviva, CNS, Gore Mutual, Family Insurance, Optimum West, Chubb Insurance, and others. Revenue is generated through placement fees and commissions on auto, home, travel, marine, recreational, and business insurance policies sold to consumers and businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sussex Insurance is a British Columbia insurance brokerage that places auto, home, travel, business, marine, and recreational insurance policies on behalf of consumers and small businesses. It operates 53 independently owned franchise offices inside major retailers across BC, supported by an Insurance Service Centre call centre and online quote/renewal tools, earning commissions from carriers such as ICBC, Intact, Aviva, Chubb, and Tugo.

Product overview

Sussex Insurance is a British Columbia insurance brokerage franchise network operating 53 offices throughout the province. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products including auto insurance through ICBC Autoplan, home insurance, travel insurance (via Tugo partnership), business insurance, marine insurance, and recreational insurance. The core product lineup is complemented by Motomaxx Vehicle Replacement Cost Insurance, a specialized add-on product underwritten by Fortress that provides gap coverage between primary insurance payout and vehicle replacement value. The company primarily serves British Columbia residents through retail locations inside Walmart, Real Canadian Superstore, T&T Supermarkets, and Save On Foods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Motomaxx: Vehicle replacement cost insurance product that secures the dollar value of initial investment on new or used vehicles.
• Sussex Insurance Franchise

Products and services

• ICBC Autoplan Auto Insurance Basic and optional auto insurance coverage for vehicles in British Columbia through ICBC, including the Enhanced Care insurance model. Includes vehicle registration and driver's licence services for BC consumers.
• Home Insurance
• Travel Insurance Travel insurance products offered through an exclusive Tugo partnership, including travel medical, trip cancellation/interruption, baggage, visitors to Canada, snowbird, and cross-border coverage. Sold via Sussex locations and the shop.tugo.com/store/SUS000 portal.
• Business Insurance Commercial insurance coverage for businesses including retail, offices, restaurants, manufacturers, constructors, commercial marine, and various liability coverages such as directors and officers liability and business interruption.
• Marine Insurance Marine insurance for pleasure craft (yachts, sailboats, speedboats, jet skis) and commercial vessels including coverage for liability, replacement cost, and emergency towing.
• Recreational Insurance Insurance coverage for recreational vehicles including motorhomes, fifth wheels, travel trailers, ATVs, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles, offered through the Got Toys program with Oasis Insurance.
• Motomaxx Vehicle Replacement Cost Insurance Vehicle replacement cost insurance underwritten by Fortress that secures the dollar value of the initial investment on new or used vehicles. In the event of total loss, pays the difference between the depreciated payout from primary insurance and the purchase price, plus 5% annual appreciation for used vehicles.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSussex Insurance is an authorized ICBC Autoplan agent and broker, processing vehicle registration, driver's licences, and auto insurance transactions on behalf of ICBC. This is the company's primary product and service offering, with 1 in 14 British Columbians transacting Autoplan at Sussex locations.
• Tugo (Travel Underwriters)coreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive travel insurance partner for Sussex Insurance. Tugo provides travel medical, trip cancellation, and other travel coverages sold through Sussex locations and online portal.
• Walmart CanadacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail location partner housing Sussex Insurance franchise offices inside Walmart stores across British Columbia.
• Real Canadian Superstore (Loblaw)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail location partner housing Sussex Insurance franchise offices inside Real Canadian Superstore locations across BC.
• T&T SupermarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail location partner, particularly serving Chinese-speaking communities in BC with Sussex Insurance offices inside T&T stores.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hub International: Hub International is a major North American insurance brokerage with significant Canadian operations, including BC. It serves both personal and commercial lines at scale and competes for the same multi-line brokerage customers while also offering broader specialty and commercial risk services Sussex does not.
• Intact Financial Corporation: Intact is Canada's largest P&C insurer and a key carrier partner for Sussex. Beyond its role as underwriter, Intact's direct channels (e.g., BrokerLink ownership) compete with Sussex for end customers, making it simultaneously a partner and a competitive threat.
• Aviva Canada: Aviva Canada is a major multi-line P&C carrier providing home and auto coverage through Sussex and other brokers. Like Intact, it is both a distribution partner and a potential disintermediation threat via direct channels, particularly in personal lines.

Emerging players

• Sonnet Insurance: Sonnet is a Canadian online-only home and auto insurer affiliated with Economical Insurance. It bypasses traditional brokers entirely and represents the direct-to-consumer competitive threat that could erode Sussex's standard personal-lines book over time.
• Surex Direct: Surex is a Canadian online brokerage comparing quotes across multiple carriers for auto, home, and commercial insurance. It competes for the same price-sensitive consumer that Sussex serves but through a digital-first experience, pressuring brokerage commissions on standard P&C lines.

Direct peers

• Western Coast Insurance Services: Western Coast Insurance Services is a BC-based insurance brokerage offering auto, home, business, and life insurance through multiple branch locations. It competes head-to-head with Sussex for ICBC Autoplan customers and personal-lines customers across Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.
• BrokerLink: BrokerLink is one of Canada's largest insurance brokerages operating hundreds of branches across multiple provinces, including BC. It offers auto, home, business, and specialty insurance through a similar multi-carrier retail brokerage model, directly competing with Sussex in shared geographies.
• Westland Insurance Group: Westland Insurance Group is one of Canada's largest independent insurance brokerages with a heavy Western Canadian footprint. Like Sussex, it provides personal and commercial P&C brokerage through multi-location retail and broker networks, serving overlapping customer segments including auto, home, and commercial lines.

Others

• ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia): ICBC is the provincial public auto insurer and Sussex's most important carrier partner. While not a competitor in brokerage, ICBC's evolving distribution policies (e.g., Enhanced Care, direct-renewal push) directly shape Sussex's economics and are the central dependency of its business model.

Regional players

• CapriCMW Insurance Services: CapriCMW is one of Western Canada's largest independent brokerages, headquartered in BC with deep commercial and specialty expertise. It overlaps with Sussex on personal and commercial P&C brokerage, though it skews more heavily toward complex commercial accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sussexinsurance
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sussex-Insurance-164624487202842
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sussex-insurance-agency-langford-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sussex Insurance