A BUSINESS support service has joined forces with one of the UKs leading merchanting chains to give Britain’s tradespeople a boost.
Wickes, which has a depot at Longroyd Bridge, Huddersfield, has teamed up with Business Link to launch business information portal www.wickestradebuilder.co.uk
It follows recent Construction Index figures reporting a 23% rise in the number of construction companies going into administration during the first quarter of this year and a realisation that many tradespeople, while technically competent, lack a solid business background meaning that the failure rate of new businesses in the building sector is second only to restaurants.
The new website has been created especially for tradespeople to provide expert industry-specific advice and guidance in areas such as finance, tax and managing employees.
A survey by Wickes showed that 38% of British tradesmen do not seek any business advice, with 35% stating that it is difficult to find the business information they need. Just 2% of those questioned currently seek business advice from a business advisory service and only 1% go to a professional trade body for guidance.
Wickes director Rob Murray said: “Today’s tough economic climate means that working for yourself is harder than ever. This has been shown clearly in the Construction Index’s recent report showing an increase of almost a quarter in the number of construction companies going into administration in the first quarter of this year.
“It’s imperative that tradesmen understand how to protect and grow their businesses effectively, but our research has shown that many tradesmen don’t know where to find this kind of advice easily.”
Business Link director Ray Lambe said: “It is really important that we make our information as easy as possible for tradesmen to get hold of.
“We have joined Wickes in creating the Trade Builder site so that tradesmen can find the business advice they need in one, easily-accessible place. Trade Builder provides information ranging from debt recovery to local advertising to hiring subcontractors – including the legalities that go with it.
“Essentially, it’s a one-stop-shop for business advice for the trade. Trade Builder brings together Wickes and Business Link‘s combined knowledge and expertise of the building trade and business advice in one place. We are very much looking forward to helping tradesmen better safeguard the success of their businesses for years to come.”
