Phoenix mulls change of name to Standard Life – Daily Business

Phoenix Group occupies the former Standard Life offices in Edinburgh and may adopt its name

Phoenix Group is considering a rebrand that would see it adopt the Standard Life name that it acquired seven years ago.

It could see a return of the 200-year-old brand to the stock market.

Long-term savings group Phoenix, the FTSE 100 group with a stock market value of about £6bn, said no decision had been made.

However, a proposal allowing for a change of name was adopted at this month’s AGM.

A source insisted there was nothing the pipeline, but confirmed: “Our brand strategy must support our business strategy, and this is kept under review.

“Standard Life is a strong brand with 200 years of history and the brand we are using to grow our business across three markets.”

Adoption of the Standard Life name would be the latest twist in a series of brand changes.

In 2018, Phoenix acquired Standard Life Assurance from Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA), the company formed by the merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management a year earlier.

The Standard Life business returned to its home in Lothian Road and SLA, with new offices in St Andrew Square became a leading shareholder in Phoenix.

In 2021 the rump of Standard Life Aberdeen changed its name to Abrdn and in 2023, after just six year in its purpose-built offices, moved back to its historic headquarters in George Street.

After months of ridicule its recently dropped the Abrdn brand and reverted to Aberdeen Group.