Utilitywise to capitalise on deregulation of England's water market

(ShareCast News) - AIM-listed Utilitywise has partnered with Business Stream to provide gas and electricity procurement services to the water supplier's customers in order to capitalise on the pending deregulation of the commercial water market in England.From April 2017, the English non-domestic water market will be deregulated, following Scotland in 2008, and the partnership is part of the company's strategy to capitalise on this for further revenue.Deregulation will allow retailers of different sizes to join the water market. Water will pass through the same infrastructure but the provision and billing will be managed by a company's licensed provider of choice, and it will be free for customers to switch and choose a provider of their choice.Through a joint marketing programme the company will offer gas and electricity procurement services and technology to Business Stream's 90,000 customers.This will initially be in Scotland, and then rolled out across England when Business Streams' acquisition of Southern Waters' non-domestic business comes into effect from April, which will include a further 100,000 customers.Utilitywise's chief executive, Brendan Flattery said: "This partnership will provide Business Stream customers with access to competitive energy prices as well as cutting edge technologies and services to help them reduce utility consumption and save even more money on their electricity, gas and water bills."Jo Dow, chief executive of Business Stream, added: "This is an innovative, triple utility offer designed to appeal to SME customers, enabling them to save time, money and effort. This new partnership makes it easier for customers to buy all their essential utilities in one place and to manage their accounts online at a time and place which suits them."