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About water2business: business water retailer review

Water 2 Business Limited. Joint venture between Wessex Water Limited (majority shareholder) and Pennon Group plc.

England & Scotland

At a glance

water2business is a Bristol-based business water retailer jointly owned by Wessex Water and Pennon Group, supplying water, wastewater and trade effluent retail services to organisations across England and Scotland.

Last reviewed 10 June 2026. Facts are drawn from water2business's own published pages, Companies House and the MOSL dashboard snapshot (March 2026). Verify anything you intend to rely on against the current source.

water2business: key facts

Parent and ownership
Joint venture between Wessex Water Limited (majority shareholder) and Pennon Group plc
Founded
Incorporated 7 May 2013 as Water 2 Business Limited (Companies House 08518831); the brand traces its origin to a joint billing venture created by Bristol Water and Wessex Water in 2000 (water2business About us page). Its Scottish licence dates to 29 October 2009, transferred from Wessex Water Enterprises on 9 October 2015 (WICS register).
Headquarters
Nailsea, Bristol (registered office and postal address: 21e Somerset Square, Nailsea, Bristol BS48 1RQ)
Leadership
Oliver Jerrome, Managing Director
Companies House
08518831
Regions served
England and Scotland. Its FY2025 accounts state it serves a diverse customer base across England and Scotland. It is the default (deemed) retailer for non-household customers in the former Bristol Water and Wessex Water regions, transferred on 1 April 2017 when the English market opened, and it holds a general water and sewerage licence in Scotland granted on 29 October 2009 (WICS register).

Services water2business publishes

Taken from the retailer's own published service pages.

  • Consolidated billing for multiple sites
  • Dedicated account management
  • Trade effluent support, including consents, compliance and charges guidance
  • Leak detection and repair
  • Water audits and benchmarking
  • Automated meter reading
  • Water efficiency advice and water-saving devices
  • Contingency planning for supply interruptions
  • New connections support
  • Wastewater and drainage specialist support

water2business deemed and out-of-contract rates

When a site takes supply without a negotiated contract, for example after moving in or letting an agreement lapse, the retailer bills on its published deemed or out-of-contract terms, which differ by wholesale region and are updated each charging year. We never republish the figures: they change annually, so the only reliable source is the current document.

water2business publishes its deemed and out-of-contract terms in its own charges documents, linked below. Check the document for your wholesaler region and charging year before comparing it against a negotiated offer.

water2business published charges

Who water2business are

water2business is the trading name of Water 2 Business Limited (Companies House 08518831), a business water retailer headquartered in Nailsea, Bristol. The brand grew out of a joint billing venture created by Bristol Water and Wessex Water in 2000, with the current company incorporated in May 2013. Today it is a joint venture between Wessex Water Limited, the majority shareholder, and Pennon Group plc, which inherited Bristol Water's interest after acquiring Bristol Water in June 2021 and was registered as a person with significant control on 31 January 2025.

When the English business water market opened on 1 April 2017, non-household customers of Bristol Water and Wessex Water transferred to water2business on deemed contracts, and it remains responsible for publishing the default retail charges for those regions. It also holds a Scottish water and sewerage licence granted in October 2009 and serves customers across England and Scotland, from SMEs to large industrial and commercial organisations in the public and private sectors. In the year to 30 June 2025 it reported revenue of £345.5m and profit after tax of £2.7m in full accounts filed at Companies House.

On service, CCW named it one of the two better performing retailers in its Business Customer Complaints 2024-25 report, with complaints to CCW of 0.8 per 10,000 SPIDs, although both CCW and the company's own accounts record a year-on-year rise in complaint volumes linked to debt recovery and data cleansing work. The company reports a sixth consecutive year as the highest performing large retailer against MOSL's Market Performance Standards. Its listed services include consolidated multi-site billing, account management, automated meter reading, leak detection and repair, water audits and benchmarking, and trade effluent support. Oliver Jerrome was appointed Managing Director in July 2025.

Strengths

  • Named one of the two better performing retailers in CCW's Business Customer Complaints 2024-25 report, with complaints to CCW of 0.8 per 10,000 SPIDs, among the lowest of the large retailers (CCW publication).
  • Company-reported number one ranking among large retailers against MOSL Market Performance Standards for the sixth consecutive year, with a 97.2% annual performance score (water2business blog announcement).
  • Backed by two established water groups: majority owned by Wessex Water Limited with FTSE-listed Pennon Group plc holding a 25 to 50% stake (Companies House PSC register).
  • Growing and profitable: revenue rose to £345.5m in the year to 30 June 2025 from £292.8m, with profit after tax of £2.7m (audited Companies House accounts).
  • Licensed in both England and Scotland, serving SMEs through to large industrial and commercial organisations in the public and private sectors (FY2025 accounts; WICS licence register).
  • Carbon neutral in line with DEFRA guidelines, assessed with Carbon Footprint Ltd and offset through tree-planting projects in the South West of England (company blog).

Considerations

  • Complaints are rising: its own FY2025 accounts show written complaints per 10,000 SPIDs increased to 16.4 from 11.7 the prior year, and CCW's 2024-25 report notes an increase driven by proactive debt recovery action, more disconnections and data cleansing, although it remains among the better performers.
  • Its deemed (default) customer base and published default charges cover only the former Bristol Water and Wessex Water regions, so out-of-contract supply terms apply regionally rather than nationally (tariffs and charges page).
  • Quotes are subject to meeting minimum credit requirements, stated on the switch-to-us form, which may exclude some businesses.
  • Owned by incumbent water companies (Wessex Water and Pennon Group) rather than being an independent retailer, which some buyers weigh when comparing against independents (Companies House PSC register).

Frequently asked

water2business: questions answered

Who owns water2business?

water2business is a joint venture between Wessex Water Limited and Pennon Group plc. The Companies House PSC register shows Wessex Water Limited holds more than 50% but less than 75% of shares, with Pennon Group Plc holding more than 25% but not more than 50%, registered on 31 January 2025. Pennon's interest derives from its June 2021 acquisition of Bristol Water, which co-founded the venture with Wessex Water, and the company's FY2025 accounts describe it as a joint venture between Wessex Water Limited and Pennon Group Plc.

What are water2business deemed or out-of-contract water rates?

water2business publishes its deemed contract terms and annual charges schemes on its Our tariffs and charges page, which we link to from this page, with charges applying from 1 April each year and published by 1 March. It is responsible for publishing the default retail charges for the Bristol Water and Wessex Water regions, where non-household customers were transferred to it on deemed contracts when the English market opened on 1 April 2017. Rates change annually under the Retail Exit Code, so always check the current charges scheme document on that page.

Can water2business supply my region?

Yes, water2business supplies eligible business customers across England and Scotland. Its FY2025 accounts state it serves a diverse customer base across both nations, from large industrial and commercial organisations to SMEs in the public and private sectors. It holds a general water and sewerage licence in Scotland granted on 29 October 2009, and in England it is the default retailer for the former Bristol Water and Wessex Water areas while competing nationally for contracted customers.

How do I contact water2business?

Call 0345 600 2 600 for general and billing enquiries, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5.30pm. You can also complete the online contact form or write to water2business, 21e Somerset Square, Nailsea, Bristol BS48 1RQ. For a supply emergency, water2business directs customers to contact their wholesaler, the regional water company that physically operates the network, since water2business is the retailer handling billing and account services.

Is water2business suited to multi-site businesses?

Yes, water2business markets flexible and consolidated billing for multiple sites alongside dedicated account management. Its FY2025 accounts confirm it serves large industrial and commercial organisations as well as SMEs across England and Scotland, and a company blog post reports an 85,000-strong client portfolio including Pirelli, Coffee#1 and Vision Express. Businesses with high consumption or multiple sites may be asked for extra information at quote stage, and all quotes are subject to minimum credit requirements.

What happens if water2business exits the market?

Your water would keep flowing, because the physical supply always comes from your regional wholesaler rather than the retailer. If a retailer leaves the market through insolvency or licence revocation, Ofwat instructs MOSL, the market operator, to run an Interim Supply Allocation that transfers the affected supply points to retailers that have opted in to receive them. Customers can then remain with the allocated retailer or switch to another of their choice.

Who runs water2business?

Oliver Jerrome runs water2business as Managing Director, appointed in July 2025 after more than seven years leading customer-facing teams in the water industry. He is supported by Interim Chief Operating Officer Matt Coggins, who joined as Finance Director in 2019, Director of Customer Services Tamsyn Whitchurch and Head of Business Development Daniel Schurrer, per the company's meet-the-team page. The statutory directors filed at Companies House are Andrew Garard, Alan Morgan and Mark Watts.

Is water2business good at customer service?

Independent evidence is broadly positive. CCW named Water2Business one of the two better performing retailers in its Business Customer Complaints 2024-25 report, with complaints to CCW of 0.8 per 10,000 SPIDs, among the lowest of the large retailers, although the report notes complaints rose year on year, driven by debt recovery activity. The company also reports a sixth consecutive year as the top-ranked large retailer against MOSL Market Performance Standards, with a 97.2% annual score.

How we work with water2business

We are an independent broker, not the retailer. When you tender through us, water2business is quoted against the whole licensed Open Water retailer panel, with the wholesale charge, retailer margin and our margin shown separately on every offer. No retailer pays for placement on this page and this profile is not a ranking. Our guide to how to compare business water suppliers covers the criteria we score offers on, and our step-by-step guide to switching business water supplier walks through the CMOS process, with no interruption to supply.

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