The water company, which gained a licence to provide water and sewerage services to Scottish businesses in September last year, will supply the firm’s three Scottish hotels in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Thames Water told Utility Week that the Jury’s Inn contract was the first it had tendered for in Scotland. It won against the incumbent, Aimera, and intended to expand further in the country after this first success.
“The next step for us now is to establish a full sales team, based in Scotland, in a couple of months, either in Edinburgh or Glasgow,” said Richard Tidswell, head of retail business to business. “We would like to be the alternative to the main incumbent Business Stream.”
Tidswell said that Thames’ experience of obtaining a retail licence from Scottish regulator Wics had been “slicker” than from Ofwat.
“I think because they had done it before, the process was a lot easier,” he said.
However, Tidswell said English water suppliers would have to work hard to win business in Scotland. He said companies had switched back to Business Stream in the past.