What James Frew does

James Frew Ltd is a privately-owned, fourth-generation family building services company headquartered in Stevenston, Ayrshire, Scotland, founded in 1911 and now employing over 400 staff across West, Central and South Scotland. The company delivers integrated multi-trade property solutions spanning plumbing, heating, mechanical and electrical services, gas maintenance, renewable energy, and social housing modernisation for both public sector clients (local authorities, housing associations) and private consumers (homeowners, landlords, developers, contractors).

The core technology layer combines on-site mechanical and electrical engineering with operational software: SimPRO for digital job tracking, Localz Find My Engineer for tenant-facing engineer tracking, and AICO SmartLINK gateways for monitored interlinked fire alarm systems. Revenue is generated through five streams: (1) recurring GasSure Home Plans subscriptions (Bronze £9.99, Silver £19.99, Gold £24.49/month), (2) one-off boiler installations at £2,225-£3,916 with finance via TradeHelp and Novuna, (3) on-demand reactive maintenance across domestic and commercial clients, (4) full-lifecycle mechanical and electrical projects for commercial, public sector and multi-residential schemes with contract values of £200K to £3M, and (5) long-term social housing maintenance and modernisation contracts. Subsidiary division GasSure (launched 2004) anchors the recurring consumer revenue, while the James Frew Academy (Plumbing 2017, Carpentry & Joinery 2023) supplies the qualified trade workforce that underpins service delivery.

Name

James Frew

Legal name

James Frew Ltd

Website

https://jamesfrew.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kilmarnock

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Home Plans Subscription (GasSure): Monthly subscription plans (Bronze, Silver, Gold) covering boiler maintenance, heating system care, home electrics, and plumbing. Recurring revenue from homeowners and landlords across Scotland.
2. Boiler Installation: One-time installation services for new boilers including Worcester Bosch and other brands. Finance options available through partnership with Novuna Personal Finance.
3. On-Demand Property Maintenance: Reactive and planned maintenance services for gas, plumbing, electrical, joinery, roofing. Both domestic and commercial clients.
4. Mechanical and Electrical Services: Full M&E project lifecycle for commercial, public sector and multi-residential projects including design, installation, testing and ongoing maintenance.
5. Social Housing Contracts: Long-term maintenance and modernisation contracts with housing associations and local authorities for heating, electrical, plumbing, and property upgrades.
6. Smart Energy Solutions: Renewable technology installation including solar panels, air source heat pumps, insulation. Revenue from installation services and potential referral fees for grant schemes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

James Frew Ltd provides integrated property solutions including plumbing, heating, mechanical, electrical installation, gas maintenance, and property upgrade services across Scotland. The company operates a subscription-based Home Plans (GasSure) division offering boiler and heating cover for homeowners and landlords, alongside commercial mechanical and electrical (M&E) project delivery, social housing maintenance and modernisation contracts, and renewable energy installations such as solar panels and air source heat pumps.

Product overview

James Frew is a building services company offering integrated property solutions primarily serving homes and businesses across Scotland. The portfolio includes the GasSure home plans suite (boiler maintenance, installation, finance, and emergency care), mechanical and electrical services, on-demand property maintenance, smart energy solutions (solar, heat pumps, insulation), and social housing services (modernisation and maintenance). The GasSure division offers subscription-based home plans with Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers covering boiler care, while the broader service ecosystem covers everything from emergency repairs to large-scale M&E installations. The company also operates the James Frew Academy for apprenticeship training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GasSure: A division of James Frew launched in 2004 offering boiler and heating cover plans for homeowners and landlords across Central and West Scotland. Also operates as 'Home Plans by James Frew GasSure' providing maintenance plans including Bronze (£9.99/month), Silver (£19.99/month), and Gold (£24.49/month) tiers.

Products and services

• Home Plans by James Frew GasSure Subscription-based boiler and heating system maintenance plans (Bronze £9.99/month, Silver £19.99/month, Gold £24.49/month) with 24/7 emergency support for homeowners and landlords across Scotland.
• Boiler Installation Professional boiler installation by Gas Safe registered engineers featuring Worcester Bosch and Ideal Heating boilers with up to 10 years warranty, available to homeowners and landlords across Scotland.
• Mechanical and Electrical Services Integrated M&E building services including commercial heating, plumbing, HVAC, electrical distribution, fire alarms, solar PV, and renewable energy systems for commercial, public sector and multi-residential projects.
• On Demand Property Maintenance Flexible property repair and improvement services including gas, plumbing, heating, electrical, joinery, roofing, drainage, and emergency repairs for domestic and commercial properties.
• Smart Energy Solutions Renewable energy solutions including solar panel installation, air source heat pumps, home insulation, and smart heating controls with Home Energy Scotland grant assistance up to £9,000.
• Electrical Installation Services Comprehensive electrical services for domestic and commercial clients including rewiring, testing, fault finding, EV charging, solar PV, and emergency repairs by NICEIC approved electricians.
• Social Housing Modernisation Comprehensive upgrade and modernisation services for social housing providers including all-trades upgrading, central heating, kitchen/bathroom replacements, and new doors/windows.
• Social Housing Maintenance Multi-trade maintenance services for social housing landlords and local authorities including responsive repairs, planned maintenance, compliance checks, void works, and 24/7 emergency response.
• Home Fire Safety Interlinked smoke and heat alarm installation services using AICO SmartLINK technology for Scottish fire safety compliance, with mobile notifications and alerts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Boiler efficiency improvements of up to 30% with new A-rated boilers compared to older models
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• West College ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Frew Academy launched at West College Scotland Paisley in 2017 for SVQ 3 Plumbing apprenticeship training. Partnership for workforce development and training.
• Ayrshire College Willie Mackie SuitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarpentry and Joinery Academy launched at Ayrshire College in 2023. SVQ 3 CITB Carpentry and Joinery programmes delivered at the Willie Mackie Skills hub.
• Worcester BoschcoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred boiler brand partner. James Frew installs Worcester Bosch Greenstar 4000 and Greenstar 8000 Life boilers. Exclusive finance deals available through partnership.
• Home Energy ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Scottish Government funded body to help customers access grants and interest-free loans for energy efficiency upgrades including heat pumps, solar panels, and insulation.
• Kilmarnock Football ClubflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary shirt sponsor as part of 2023 brand relaunch. Major marketing partnership providing platform for new branding visibility across Scottish football.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mears Group: UK-listed provider of social-housing maintenance, repairs and modernisation services. Directly comparable to James Frew's social-housing division for managed maintenance contracts and capital-improvement programmes delivered to housing associations and local authorities.
• British Gas HomeCare (Centrica): National boiler and heating cover subscription product from the UK's largest domestic energy supplier. Direct comparable to GasSure on subscription structure and target customer (homeowners/landlords), backed by a national brand and broader service ecosystem.
• HomeServe: UK-listed national home-services subscription provider offering plumbing, heating, electrical and drainage cover plans. Closely comparable business model to James Frew's GasSure Home Plans subscription, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach across the UK.

Emerging players

• Heatable: UK digital-first boiler installation and finance provider with online quote flow and finance partnerships. Closely comparable to James Frew's boiler installation + TradeHelp/Novuna finance product, competing on price transparency and digital UX.
• WarmZilla: UK online boiler-comparison and installation platform partnering with regional engineers. Overlaps with James Frew's online self-serve quote engine (sub-30-second quotes) and boiler-installation offering, but model is digital marketplace rather than employed-engineer delivery.

Direct peers

• CORGI HomePlan: UK provider of boiler, heating, plumbing and electrical home-care subscription plans. Operates a comparable subscription tier structure to GasSure and serves the same residential customer base across the UK, making it a direct subscription-model competitor.
• Local Heroes (British Gas): British Gas marketplace for local Gas Safe engineers covering boiler installation, plumbing, electrical and heating repairs. Competes with James Frew's direct-to-consumer boiler and maintenance proposition, leveraging the British Gas brand to source demand nationally.
• HelpLink: UK boiler cover subscription provider with multi-tier monthly plans covering boilers, heating and plumbing. Directly comparable subscription pricing/structure to GasSure's Bronze/Silver/Gold tiers.
• Glow Green: UK boiler installation specialist offering finance options and 0% APR plans through Worcester Bosch. Direct comparable to James Frew's boiler-installation-plus-finance proposition, with similar finance-broker partnerships.

Regional players

• Pimlico Plumbers: London-based independent plumbing, heating and property-maintenance firm with a large directly-employed engineer workforce. Highly comparable as a large regional building-services contractor, although concentrated in London rather than Scotland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JamesFrewLtd
• Facebookfacebook.com/jamesfrewltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jamesfrewltd

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about James Frew