Centrica plc has announced that its new on-demand service, Local Heroes, is now open for business across the UK, providing a user-friendly digital platform to find trusted local tradespeople to carry out work in the home.
Today’s announcement heralds the company’s strategic play for the on-demand home services market, which is estimated to be worth £5.7 billion.
Local Heroes is the first digital on-demand service to link the customer-tradespeople journey seamlessly, from searching for a job and providing a price estimate, through to confirmation and online payment. All work that is undertaken via Local Heroes is backed by a 12-month British Gas guarantee.
Local Heroes currently connects people with local plumbing, heating, electrical and drainage experts. With 50% of jobs in the home now being done on-demand, the service has already indicated that it will test and add new trades later in the year.
Local Heroes has been incubated at Centrica since early 2016, with the service delivering successful regionalised pilots across the UK over the past year. Its purpose is to meet the changing habits and needs of consumers, particularly the next generation of Centrica customers, who want a digital and pain-free solution when it comes to home services.
For tradespeople who are successfully vetted and approved to become Local Heroes, the business model opens up a new revenue stream of work opportunities available within their local area.
Mark Hodges, Chief Executive, Centrica Consumer commented: “Local Heroes is a perfect example of how we see innovation and new technologies flourishing at Centrica.
“Local Heroes is the first online platform that offers a complete start-to-finish experience, introducing current and next generation customers to local tradesmen – crucially, all backed by the peace of mind of a British Gas guarantee.”
The company believes the launch of Local Heroes reflects the ambition to meet the changing needs of its customers, particularly through digital innovations.
There are more than 2,500 Local Heroes across the UK. By 2020, the company aims to have completed several hundred thousand jobs in the home, via its online platform.
Centrica will showcase its latest innovations at London Tech Week, Europe’s largest tech event, from 12th-16th June.
