Scotland marks decade of water competition

Scotland’s non-domestic water market, which paved the way for all businesses and public sector organisations to choose their water supplier, is marking its tenth year of successful operation after opening in April 2008.

To coincide with the landmark anniversary, the market’s largest retailer, Business Stream, announced it has saved its customers over £160m on their water bills since the market opened. By deploying a range of water efficiency solutions, it has also helped customers reduce their environmental impact by conserving more than 24 billion litres of water.

When the Scottish market opened in 2008, it was the world’s first competitive water market, providing organisations across the private and public sectors with access to a range of benefits, including lower bills and enhanced customer service levels.  The retail water market in England opened nine years later in April 2017.

Formed in 2006 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scottish Water, Business Stream was Scotland’s first non-domestic retailer. It expanded its operation in April 2017, acquiring the non-household customer base of Southern Water, providing it with a strong foothold to compete within the new £2.5bn English water market.

Jo Dow, Chief Executive at Business Stream, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Scottish market and, simultaneously, the first anniversary of the English market. It’s been an exciting time for the water industry and I’m proud of the role we have played, advocating competition for customers and delivering over £160 million of benefits for our customers to date. Our focus now is on the next decade and ensuring that we continue to evolve and enhance our services and solutions in line with our customers’ needs.”