The RAC has boosted the size of the team selling branded warranty products to dealers by more than a third as it targets a greater presence in the independent sector.

More than 800 applicants were considered as part of a recruitment process which resulted in the recruitment of 14 new members of sales staff – growing the team to a total of 50.

The recruitment drive comes as the RAC looks to boost its presence in the independent dealer sector.

Sean Kent, director, corporate and independent dealers at The Warranty Group, the RAC’s partner in the dealer sector, said: “We are very much in a growth phase at the moment, being on target for a more than 30% increase in sales by volume this year. Also, the number of dealers in our network has risen to over 1,100 since January.

“The new agents have been recruited because we have even more ambitious plans for 2017, very much concentrating on the independent used car sector, where we believe there exists the most potential for growth.”

Kent said that new agent recruitment had been concentrated in areas where there was currently poorer penetration of dealers using RAC warranty products.

“These include the West Midlands, the North West, Scotland and Essex. Now we are confident that there is much better representation in these areas.”