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Scottish businesses including hotels, banks, newspapers, retailers, manufacturers and an ice rink are switching to Thames Water.
The water company announced this week that it has signed up two hotel chains, Queensferry Hotels and the Edinburgh Collection, since December.
According to Thames, it has signed deals with ‘a steady stream’ of businesses since its first Scottish customer, Jury’s Inn, signed in April 2013.
More than 130,000 business customers have switched supplier since the market opened in 2008, and there are currently 13 water and waste water suppliers operating in Scotland.
However, about 90 per cent of the Scottish non-domestic market custom resides with Business Stream, the incumbent.
Ricky Kapoor, the Edinburgh Collection commercial director, said: “Thames Water is keen to explore all the ways in which we as a company can save money, including conservation techniques, which falls in line with our environmental policy.”
A spokesman said Thames Water had moved a sales team to Edinburgh’s Albany Street last year so it could have “a physical presence up there to be more proactive and understand the market”.
“Things are building up steadily, with the team expanding, and soon the changes will come into effect in England and Wales: this is the future of the water industry,” he said.
Erin Matthews, Thames Water business development manager, argued that switching suppliers was not a complicated process and the only difference business customers would notice is a “new-look bill” and a reduction in water bills.
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