4 August 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Anti-rogue trader organisation licenses business in expansion drive
Expansion into Berkshire
SUMMARY
The Uk's first and leading vetting company for tradespeople and service providers is licensing it's business in a move to help stamp out the problem of rogue traders and cowboy builders across the UK.
PRESS RELEASE
Since 1998 Checkatrade has been helping the British public avoid rogue traders and cowboy builders by providing a free, transparent and impartial directory of over 6000 vetted tradespeople and service providers across the UK. Now Ann-Marie O’Connor, daughter of household name Tom O’Connor, is returning to offer the Checkatrade standard to a wide range of local trades, from builders and plumbers to tree surgeons and landscape gardeners.
Ann-Marie has been granted one of only two Checkatrade licences, the other covering Hertfordshire. Ann-Marie’s licence will see her build membership across the county and foster relationships within local communities. Over the next few weeks trades will be invited to register for approval to join, while customers will be able to access the member directory online at www.checkatrade.com to find a reliable, genuine tradesperson or service.
Checkatrades expansion follows a period of rapid growth as the UK's rogue trader problem has intensified. trade membership has doubled to over 6,000 in the last two years while the number of unique visitors to the website has reached over 220,000 a month.
Kevin Byrne, founder and managing director of Checkatrade, commented: “Every year over a million UK homeowners have to spend money fixing work carried out by tradesmen without the correct qualifications or training. The scourge of rogue traders and cowboys builders is very worrying for many people, especially the elderly and other vulnerable groups, so we’re delighted to bring the service to Berkshire”.
The move into Berkshire is a natural expansion for Checkatrade, which operates throughout the South and reflects founder Kevin Byrne’s ambition to take the business nationwide. Kevin founded Checkatrade in 1998 after a tornado hit the small West Sussex town of Selsey and rogue traders from the length and breadth of the country descended on the town’s vulnerable.
For more information visit www.checkatrade.com.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Checkatrade helps combat the UK's rogue trader problem by continuously vetting and monitoring local traders such as builders, plumbers and electricians. The idea was born in 1998 after a tornado hit the small West Sussex town of Selsey. Traders poured in from as far away as Liverpool and Manchester. Unfortunately, some ripped off the inhabitants of the town. Local businessman, Kevin Byrne, realised there was nowhere to check out the traders’ credentials and the company that became Checkatrade was formed.
Since then, Checkatrade has grown to include over 6,300 genuine trade members, growing by an average 120 new members every month, and, via the Royal Mail, distributes 5.9 million directories a year into communities throughout Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Dorset and Berkshire, while the website includes traders from across the UK.
CONTACT INFORMATION
PR / Marketing, Checkatrade
5 - 6 Sherrington Mews, Ellis Square, Selsey, West Sussex, PO20 0FJ
Tel: 01243 601234
Fax: 01243 601246
info@checkatrade.com
