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For other subjects named similarly, see Checkatrade (disambiguation).
Vetted Limited
Checkatrade
Company typeLimited company
(subsidiary of HomeServe)
FoundedSeptember 1998; 26 years ago (1998-09) in Selsey, West Sussex
FounderKevin Byrne OBE BCAb
HeadquartersLakeside North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire,
UK
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Jambu Palaniappan (CEO)
RevenueIncrease £55.6 million (2022)[1]
Number of employees
555 (2022)[1]
ParentBrookfield Corporation
Websitecheckatrade.com

Vetted Limited, trading as Checkatrade, is a site which connects homeowners with approved local tradespeople. It is a subsidiary of Brookfield Corporation.[2]

Checkatrade was founded by Kevin Byrne OBE (BCAb) and headquartered in Selsey, West Sussex, for 21 years before relocating to Portsmouth, Hampshire, in 2019 following its acquisition by HomeServe. Canadian asset management firm Brookfield acquired the company upon completing its purchase of HomeServe, Checkatrade’s parent organisation, in 2022.[3]

In 2021, the company had more than 44,000 members.[4]

History

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Originally known as Scout, Checkatrade was set up in September 1998 by local resident Kevin Byrne OBE BCAb after rogue traders descended on the seaside town of Selsey following a localised tornado that damaged 1,000 buildings and caused £10m in damage.[5] Under the Scout name, Byrne printed and distributed a directory of local tradespeople whom he had personally checked to complete jobs in the Selsey area.[6]

Scout soon expanded to cover Chichester. In the early 2000s, the company began advertising its services on local radio and television. It also began sponsoring major sporting events as ‘Scouted Out’ around this time.[citation needed]

In 2001, a website was published called The Trade Register. This name replaced Scouted Out, reflecting the company’s growing membership across Chichester, Surrey, and South West London. In 2005, the company changed its name to Checkatrade after a government rule forbade use of the word register.[why?][7] Checkatrade has been listed with Companies House as Vetted Ltd since 2001.[8]

In 2013, Checkatrade had 100 employees, 10,000 members, and 80 directories live.[9] By 2015, the company reached 19,000 members and two million published reviews.[10]

In February 2017, HomeServe acquired a 40% stake in Checkatrade, but held an option to increase its share to 75% within the next two years.[11] By November 2017, HomeServe had bought the remaining 60% of the business for £54m.[12] Shortly afterwards, Byrne stood down as CEO[13] and was replaced by Mike Fairman.[14] In 2018, Checkatrade announced it was relocating to its current headquarters to Portsmouth.[15]

In 2021, Checkatrade announced a new guarantee, covering homeowners up to £1,000 for any unsatisfactory work booked through the business.[16] The same year, Checkatrade also launched an advertising campaign featuring a modern-day Julius Caesar. The advert was a satirical take on friends’ recommendations, referencing Caesar’s betrayal at the hands of those he trusted most. In the advert, Caesar rejects Brutus’s advice in favour of Checkatrade because the company offers "recommendations you can rely on".[17]

In 2022, Brookfield acquired HomeServe, Checkatrade’s parent organisation, in a deal worth over £4bn.[18] As of December 2023, the business remains headquartered in Portsmouth, with Richard Harpin as the company’s chairman. Jambu Palaniappan became Checkatrade CEO in September 2023.

Awards

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In 2014, Checkatrade won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.[19] Later that year, the company was recognised by The Times in its ‘Best Small Companies to Work For’ awards.[20] Checkatrade won Online Trade Directory of the Year at the 2018 On the Tools awards.[21]

Industry outreach

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Several local councils in the UK have previously partnered with Checkatrade to support trading standards, including Surrey, Nottinghamshire, East Sussex, Suffolk, Kent, and Buckinghamshire.[22][23][24][25][26]

In 2019, Kent Police recommended that local residents hire tradespeople through the Kent County Council approved trader scheme created with Checkatrade after an elderly woman was targeted by con men, resulting in her losing over £1,000.[27] Kent County Council ended their partnership with Checkatrade in 2020, replacing it with a Trading Standards vetting scheme.[28]

In July 2021, Richard Harpin discussed research from Checkatrade on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, noting the UK’s lack of skilled trade workers despite growing demand in the home improvement market.[29]

Checkatrade has conducted research into the impact of rogue trading across the UK. In December 2021, the company found that 13% of its respondents had been impacted by rogue traders.[30] In May 2022, the company found that residents in Newcastle, Belfast, and London were most likely to fall victim to rogue trading.[31]

In October 2022, Checkatrade joined BT’s partnership network to help drive small business growth.[32] Later on the same year, Checkatrade and HomeServe established ‘Trade-Up’, a not-for-profit campaign that trains people to become tradespeople.[33]

In March 2023, Checkatrade published a report on the skills gap in UK trades and construction. It revealed a shortfall of one million workers. In response, the company launched GetIn, a nationwide campaign to encourage school leaders and young people under the age of 25 into trades careers via apprenticeships.[34]

Sponsorships

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Checkatrade were the primary sponsor of the English Football League Trophy, from the 2016/17 season to the 2018/19 season. The Checkatrade Trophy involves clubs from League One and League Two, plus 16 under-21 teams from the Premier League and EFL Championship clubs.[citation needed]

Between 2013 and 2018 the Broadfield Stadium, home of Crawley Town F.C., was renamed The Checkatrade.com Stadium as part of a sponsorship deal.[35] In 2018, Checkatrade became sponsor of the PDC darts tournaments.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b "VETTED LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  2. ^ Banham, Mark (2022-07-22). "Homeserve boosts Checkatrade members with £4.1 billion takeover on track". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  3. ^ Agnew, Harriet; Thomas, Daniel (2022-05-19). "Brookfield strikes £4bn deal for UK's HomeServe". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  4. ^ "Checkatrade trusts agency to deliver digital creative | GBCC". Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. August 13, 2021. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  5. ^ "BBC News | UK | Town picks up the pieces after tornado". BBC News. January 9, 1998. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  6. ^ Byrne, Kevin. "Interview: Kevin Byrne, Checkatrade - Meet the entrepreneur taking on cowboy builders". Management Today (Interview). Interviewed by Jack Torrance.
  7. ^ "Set up a private limited company". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  8. ^ "VETTED LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". 2019-05-09. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  9. ^ "Recommended & Trusted Tradesmen at Checkatrade.com". 2013-07-22. Archived from the original on 2013-07-22. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  10. ^ "Checkatrade: Find a tradesperson you can trust". 2015-11-16. Archived from the original on 2015-11-16. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  11. ^ Williams, Christopher (2017-02-02). "HomeServe seeks digital future with Checkatrade investment". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  12. ^ "HomeServe takes complete ownership of Checkatrade | Midlands Business News". Insider Media Ltd. 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  13. ^ "COUNTY NEWS: Checkatrade founder sells his company". SussexWorld. 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  14. ^ "Checkatrade appoints new Chief Executive". www.hvpmag.co.uk. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  15. ^ "Checkatrade announces it will move to Portsmouth next yearÂ". The News. 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  16. ^ Duff, Stuart (2021-10-06). "Checkatrade launches new guarantee". PHPI Online. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  17. ^ "Checkatrade "Recommendations you can rely on" by Hughson & Merton". www.campaignlive.co.uk. February 10, 2021. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  18. ^ Agnew, Harriet; Thomas, Daniel (2022-05-19). "Brookfield strikes £4bn deal for UK's HomeServe". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  19. ^ "Royal seal of approval for Sussex firms". The Argus. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  20. ^ Boztas, Senay (2023-05-22). "United teams thrive on the extra pressure". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  21. ^ "Checkatrade Named Best in the Industry". Electrical Times. 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  22. ^ "Surrey Trading Standards and Checkatrade Combine to Protect Consumers". LOSRA. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  23. ^ "Approved Trader Scheme". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  24. ^ "Businesses approved by Checkatrade – Approved traders – East Sussex County Council". 2019-05-14. Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  25. ^ "Suffolk InfoLink | Checkatrade". infolink.suffolk.gov.uk. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  26. ^ "Trading Standards Checked". tschecked.kent.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  27. ^ "Elderly woman targeted by rogue traders". Kent Online. 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  28. ^ "End of partnership with Checkatrade". Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  29. ^ "Checkatrade boss warns of shortage of skilled trade workers". BBC News. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  30. ^ Evans, Vicki (2021-12-07). "6.7 million Brits fall victim to rogue traders in 2021". kbbreview. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  31. ^ "Oxford residents hit hard by rogue traders, research finds". Oxford Mail. 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  32. ^ "BT announces new partnerships with Just Eat and Checkatrade to provide cost-saving benefits for UK micro-businesses". BT announces new partnerships with Just Eat and Checkatrade to provide cost-saving benefits for UK micro-businesses. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  33. ^ Harpin, Richard (2023-05-22). "Retraining can provide the solution to Britain's crippling skills shortage". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  34. ^ "Checkatrade.com report calls for more apprentices in UK construction". FE News. 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  35. ^ Long, Michael (2013-09-02). "Crawley Town in Checkatrade.com naming rights deal". SportsPro. Retrieved 2019-05-13.[dead link‍]
  36. ^ Allen, Dave (2018-03-28). "Checkatrade Extend PDC Partnership". PDC. Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
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