The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Merger will boost Castle Water south of the border
EFFICIENCY: Hopes move will deliver improved service and reduced admin
Perthshire water firm Castle Water is boosting its presence south of the border after announcing plans to merge with an English rival.
The Blairgowrie firm, which provides services to 350,000 business and charity customers in the UK, announced the merger with Hertfordshire-based Affinity for Business (Retail) Limited yesterday.
Castle Water is a leading supplier to the England Public Sector through the Crown Commercial Service framework – supplying local authorities, schools and NHS Trusts throughout England.
Affinity for Business (Retail) Limited provides water services to around 50,000 business customers in the UK.
The firms say the merger will allow more efficient billing, reduced administration and improved customer service for the many Affinity for Business customers already served by Castle Water.
The merger is planned for April 1 and Affinity for Business’ Welwyn Garden City office will become the new hub for Castle Water in the south of England.
No staffing changes are planned for Castle Water’s Blairgowrie facility.
Castle Water chief executive, John Reynolds, said: “Castle Water and Affinity for Business share a commitment to providing the highest levels of customer service, shown in the consistently high Trustpilot scores achieved by both organisations.
“This merger will improve customer service and reduce administration for customers.
“Following the merger, many Affinity for Business customers will benefit from having a single supplier for water and wastewater.”
The Blairgowrie company had previously capitalised on the deregulation of the water market in England to provide water and waste water services to businesses and the public sector.
Castle Water took over providing retail services to customers of Portsmouth Water in 2016, Thames Water in 2017 and South East Water in 2018.
Helen Gillett, managing director of Affinity for Business, said: “Castle Water has the experience and scale to build on the brilliant foundations we have established in the last three years.”