Win the new occupier before the default retailer keeps them
In England and Scotland a business can choose its water retailer. A new occupier who doesn't choose stays with whoever it was given.
Why timing matters
The non-household water market opened in England in April 2017 (Scotland in 2008), so most businesses there can switch retailer. A business that has just moved in usually hasn't thought about it, which is why it's the right time to ask. Wales is different: most business customers there can't switch, so the file for a water retailer covers England and Scotland.
What we tell you
The moments that matter for you:
| Just moved in | A business has started at premises that had nobody in them: a new ratepayer, a new food business, a newly registered care home, nursery, surgery or garage. |
| Changed hands | A new operator at premises that were already trading: a pub, shop or care home under new ownership, often keeping the old name on the door. |
How to use it
Start with premises that use a lot of water (food, care, hair and beauty, garages); every row says what kind of business it is.
Last week in numbers
In the daily files from 14 to 20 October 2026, businesses that took on premises, changed hands or were about to, graded A or B for a water retailer's desk: 172 across Great Britain, 61 of them opening or about to and 111 just moved in or under a new owner. 143 came with a landline to ring. 24% of them could not have been flagged by a service working from Companies House alone: the premises isn't the registered office, or nothing new was on the register.
| Region | Rows graded A or B | Opening or about to | Moved in or new owner | With a landline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 25 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| South East | 20 | 8 | 12 | 18 |
| West Midlands | 20 | 6 | 14 | 17 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 20 | 8 | 12 | 14 |
| North West | 19 | 4 | 15 | 18 |
| South West | 18 | 3 | 15 | 15 |
| East of England | 16 | 4 | 12 | 15 |
| East Midlands | 13 | 6 | 7 | 11 |
| Scotland | 11 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| North East | 9 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
Some of last week's rows for London, said in words (the file has the name, the address, the number and where each came from):
- A dental practice in Barnet, new owner, 14 October. A landline to ring.
- A care or childcare premises in Hackney, opening or just opened, 17 October. A landline to ring.
- An accommodation business in Waltham Forest, opening or just opened, 17 October. A line at the premises, which may be the last occupier’s.
- A nursing home in Kingston upon Thames, opening or just opened, 15 October. A landline to ring.
Counted from the daily files dated 14 to 20 October 2026, the seven days to the latest file, as they were read on 20 October 2026. Each event is counted once, on the first file it reached.
Coverage
The national registers cover every council in Great Britain. On top of those, 35 councils publish a business rates list we can use and 10 a licensing register (as of 25 September 2026), and we add councils as they give permission. Northern Ireland isn't in the file yet. Where the data comes from.
Built for selling within the rules: businesses not people, every row with its source and date, and nothing your team can't explain to someone who asks. How it's done.
Had your free fortnight? Subscribe here and the files carry on: a region for £250 a month, and you can stop at any month's end. You choose the region and what you sell at the checkout.
Questions
Can we have Scotland only?
Yes. The file can be cut to any set of councils or regions.
How is this different from buying a list?
A list is a snapshot of businesses that exist. This is what changed yesterday: who moved in, who took over, who left. A bought list can't tell you any of that, and it's out of date the day it arrives.
How do you find them?
From public registers, read every day and kept, so we can see when something changes at an address. The sources are on the sources page. How we put them together is ours, and we don't publish it.
Is there personal data in it?
Almost none. The file is about businesses and premises: no director names, no home addresses. Where a business publishes only a named address on its own website, the daily file carries it in a marked column, as the privacy notice says; a sample never does. Where a phone number or a mailbox is public, we say where it came from.
Can we email or ring them?
Limited companies and LLPs can be emailed without prior consent under PECR, if you say who you are and give a way to opt out. Phone numbers are yours to screen against the TPS and CTPS before you ring.
What does it cost?
£250 a month for a region, or £1,000 a month for the whole of Great Britain, monthly, and you can stop at any month's end. The first two weeks are free, so your team can try it on real rows before paying anything.
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