Motorway Direct of Sheff-ield has acquired a majority stake in customer data services specialist The Trading Floor Ltd, previously known as Solutio Europe, at The Wharf, Sowerby Bridge.

The substantial investment gives the directors of Motorway Direct plc, which trades as RAC Warranty, the chance to re-market its warranties to a vast new customer audience on Trading Floor Ltd’s significant managed database.

The transaction is worth up to £4 million over the next two years and could allow Motorway Direct to grow its existing 350,000-strong warranty customer base by another 30 per cent.

The Trading Floor offers clients in financial services and insurance a pioneering means of exchanging and enhancing risk-based customer/inquirer information through a centrally managed pool. Clients of The Trading Floor buy data for acquiring customers from direct mail, telesales or e-mail campaigns to transfers direct from the Internet or call centres.

Chris McDonald, sales and marketing director of The Trading Floor and Harry Cummine, the firm’s operations director, are joined on the enlarged board of the merged entity by Simon Tennyson, managing director of Motorway Direct and Don Pinkney, its chief executive officer.