0845 408 4866

For the latest updates, subscribe to the
Checkatrade RSS Feed

Selsey based company, Checkatrade.com (http://www.checkatrade.com) have this week finalised the purchase of just under an acre of development land in Manor Road, Selsey. Checkatrade, an answer to the UK’s rogue trade problem, intends to build offices on the land to accommodate its growing business and to provide more employment opportunities in the Selsey area.

Kevin Byrne, Founder and Managing Director of Checkatrade said, “Our business has flourished in the last few years. We moved into our current office space 2 ½ years ago, from the shed at the bottom of my garden, with 6 staff members. We now have 40 employees and are still growing. It makes sound financial sense to me to develop the land as I foresee good business prospects, not just for me but for others in Selsey”.

Checkatrade has been operating in Selsey since 1998. It has over 1600 members and publishes over 3.2 million guides a year in the Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and Berkshire areas.

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 nearly 2,000 genuine trade members and, via the Royal Mail, distributes 4 million directories into communities throughout Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Dorset and Berkshire, while the website includes traders from across the UK. In 2007, the company saw a turnover of £1.2 million - an increase of 50% on 2006. After its humble beginnings in a shed, Checkatrade – still based in Selsey - now employs around 40 staff.

In 2007, Checkatrade was nominated for a ‘Sussex Enterprise Business of the Year Award’ and currently sponsors ‘The Rip Off Files’ on Wave 105 FM. They also sponsored the 2007 SpiritFM ‘Local Hero Awards’ and Bright FM's ‘Community Christmas Awards’.