Business water retailer, Water Plus, has signed a deal to supply water to all of the UK sites for national vehicle repair and servicing chain, Kwik Fit.

 It is thought to have been the largest switch, by number of sites, for any water retailer prior to the water market in England opening to competition on Saturday, April 1 2017.

 The deal covers 831 Kwik Fit and Stapleton’s Tyre Services sites in the UK, which are owned by parent company European Tyre Enterprises Ltd (ETEL). The figure includes 83 sites in Scotland and 748 sites located across England.

 Before signing up with Water Plus, each of the sites was serviced by its local water company, which meant the business had to deal with 22 different suppliers for billing and specific site issues.

The contract is worth £650,000 a year.

Nigel Janes, Facilities Manager at ETEL, said:

“We wanted a business water retailer who not only had the expertise and the financial standing to provide the level of support we need, but also had the water expertise.

“The freedom to choose a single water company has created a range of benefits for our business, including cost and efficiency savings, as well as consolidated billing across most of the estate. The cost savings and reduced payment processing and administration time provided by this deal ticked all the boxes for us.”

The Water Plus joint venture was formed in June last year by Severn Trent and United Utilities and provides services including billing, meter reading, account management and water efficiency advice for businesses of all sizes.

Water Plus Corporate Director, Tony McHardy, said:

“This switch came about through our personal approach - building our relationship with Kwik Fit, not only getting in touch with the company, but working hard to understand their data and offering the ability to consolidate a large portfolio of sites.”

“Businesses of all sizes should be thinking about how they can benefit from the changes that were introduced on April 1, including what they want from a retailer. But before they rush into choosing a retailer, it’s important to carry out due diligence to ensure the potential supplier has the financial standing, expertise and service offering that’s right for you and your business. Get a clear view on your current spend and ask suppliers to quote on a standardised basis so you can easily compare offers.”

“The benefits of this deal with European Tyre Enterprises Ltd for their sites demonstrates what other companies can get from switching.”

Sue Amies-King, Chief Executive of Water Plus, said:

“We’re delighted to be working with Kwik Fit to make the most of the benefits on offer. We’ve designed our business around our customers, investing in cloud-based systems and a wide range of channels to be accessible and easy to deal with. Our people know the industry inside out, which means they are well placed to provide that value-added service that large businesses like Kwik Fit are looking for.”

“In our experience, savings can be made across all businesses and organisations – from the corner shop, to a school or a large manufacturing business with complex water or waste water processes. There are a number of ways to save on costs, reduce consumption and reduce administration.”

Water Plus is the largest business water retailer in England, serving more than 366,000 business customers.