The People's Pension, from workplace pension provider B&CE, has been selected by MEARS as its auto-enrolment pension provider of choice.

B&CE, which provides pensions to over 1.6 million people, says the contract is an important milestone as the social housing provider is the first customer from outside its usual construction-based client base. The new partners are expecting 10,000 employees of MEARS to save into The People's Pension offering.

Commenting on their decision to select The People's Pension as their solution for the auto-enrolment of employees, Andrew Smith, MEARS' finance director said: "We have chosen to partner with B&CE because we particularly value its not-for-profit ethos and the portability of The People's Pension, which will benefit our employees enormously who work as part of a transient workforce. We also believe that with B&CE's track-record of providing an auto-enrolment style pension, they will really be able to help us meet the challenges of implementing and managing this new approach to workplace pensions across our business."

According to the current staging date calendar, MEARS will be required to automatically enrol its eligible employees into a compliant workplace pension scheme from 1 March 2013.

Patrick Heath-Lay, CEO designate at B&CE said: "It is really encouraging that MEARS has recognised the value and benefits that B&CE through The People's Pension will bring to its business and its employees. We are looking forward to sharing further information of expected business volumes and other customer announcements shortly." 

First published 11.09.2012

azeevalkink@wilmington.co.uk