Fairpoint Group's chief executive Chris Moat, who took control of the parent company of Debt Free Direct yesterday, has said it will keep its operations in Adlington, near Chorley.

He revealed the group wants to increase the number of products it provides to indebted customers, including linking up with price comparison websites to secure cheaper deals on utilities.

The 40-year-old, whose previous employers include Churchill and Green Flag Insurance, takes over from Andrew Redmond who becomes a non-executive deputy chairman.

Mr Moat said: "Any future expansion will occur at Chorley. The more skills and people you can get together within a close proximity the easier it is to develop and expand operations.

"We have around 350 people already here so it is the heart of the operations and once you get to that level of expertise it makes sense to concentrate in one area rather than have satellite offices all over the place."

The boss, who will be based in its Lancashire office, said that the group was in the final stages of completing the transfer of staff from Nottingham-based Clear Start, a consumer debt advice service it bought for £10.9m last summer, to Lancashire.

He said he wanted to see the company become a more "broad-based financial services provider" for indebted people by offering a wider range of products.

The company has already begun talks with utilities companies and online brokers, such as uSwitch.com and Moneysupermarket.com, to improve its offer.

The chief executive said: "I want to see us build on the help we can provide to financially stressed consumers as the credit crunch takes hold."

Fairpoint chairman Mike Blackburn said the appointment with a wider financial services background signalled the next phase in the firm's development and more boardroom appointments in the near future.

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