Local Heroes

Local Heroes was a British online service launched by Centrica through its British Gas subsidiary in February 2016. It connected households with independent tradespeople for domestic repair, maintenance, and improvement work, including plumbing, heating, drainage, electrical work, painting, plastering, tiling, locksmith services, appliance repairs, and general handyman jobs. The service was designed to combine the reach and reassurance associated with British Gas with the capacity of an external network of local professionals. Customers submitted details of a job through the Local Heroes website and received an estimated price range informed by market research and historical job data. A participating tradesperson then assessed the work and supplied a final quotation, which the customer could accept or decline. Payments were made through Local Heroes using PayPal or a credit card rather than cash; the service stated that cash payment would invalidate the British Gas-backed job guarantee. Local Heroes expanded in stages. It began with limited availability in the Croydon area, reached the West Midlands in October 2016, expanded to Glasgow in April 2017, and achieved coverage across the United Kingdom in June 2017. The platform operated with a vetting and eligibility process for participating professionals. Applicants were required to hold £2 million in public-liability insurance and provide banking information together with a company logo or profile image. Some occupations also required relevant technical credentials or registration with approved schemes, such as NICEIC registration for certain electrical work. Tradespeople could accept and manage jobs through email, a smartphone, or a desktop computer. In August 2018, Local Heroes introduced Toolbox, an app intended for its participating tradespeople. This reflected the platform's emphasis on digital job allocation and operational coordination rather than on employing the professionals directly. The brand received industry recognition during its operating period. It was nominated for the Best New Proposition Award at the CEA in 2017 and won the Customer Engagement Award at the Peer Awards in 2018. Despite this recognition, British Gas announced in September 2023 that the platform would close as the company concentrated on increasing demand for British Gas services. Local Heroes ceased trading on 20 October 2023, making it a defunct marketplace brand rather than an active consumer service.

Local Heroes was established as a British Gas and Centrica initiative to provide a digital route to household repair and maintenance services. It launched in February 2016 with limited availability in Croydon. Rather than employing its own nationwide workforce, the platform organized a network of independent tradespeople who could receive and complete customer jobs through the service. The operating model combined automated or data-informed pricing guidance with a human quotation process. After a customer described a job, Local Heroes used market research and historical information to generate an estimated price range. A participating tradesperson then provided the definitive quote. Customers could decide whether to proceed, while completed jobs were paid for through the platform by PayPal or credit card. The service stated that jobs were guaranteed by British Gas and that paying in cash would void that guarantee. The network expanded geographically during its first two years. Local Heroes moved into the West Midlands in October 2016 and Glasgow in April 2017, before reaching United Kingdom-wide coverage in June 2017. Its trade categories included plumbers, heating engineers, drainage engineers, electricians, handymen, painters and decorators, plasterers, tilers, locksmiths, and appliance engineers. Participation was subject to eligibility requirements, including £2 million in public-liability insurance, banking information, and a business logo or profile image. Certain trades also required specific professional qualifications or registration with recognized competent-person schemes. The platform gave tradespeople several ways to receive and accept work, including email, smartphones, and desktop computers. In August 2018, it added Toolbox, an app intended to support the working processes of participating professionals. The move reinforced Local Heroes' position as a technology-mediated service marketplace rather than a conventional British Gas field-service division. Local Heroes gained external recognition during its operation. It was nominated for the Best New Proposition Award at the CEA in 2017 and received the Customer Engagement Award at the Peer Awards in 2018. These distinctions highlighted the service's customer-facing and digital proposition, although the available reference material does not provide detailed performance figures or financial results. In September 2023, British Gas announced that the Local Heroes platform would close, citing a strategic focus on growing demand for British Gas services. Local Heroes ceased trading on 20 October 2023. No evidence in the supplied material indicates that the brand was transferred to another owner or converted into a continuing standalone service.

• 2023

  Closure announced

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  British Gas announces that the Local Heroes platform will close in October.

• 2023

  Trading ends

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Local Heroes ceases trading on 20 October.

• 2018

  Toolbox app launches

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Local Heroes launches Toolbox for tradespeople using its platform.

• 2018

  Peer Awards recognition

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The brand wins the Customer Engagement Award at the Peer Awards.

• 2017

  Glasgow expansion

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Local Heroes extends its geographic availability to Glasgow in April.

• 2017

  United Kingdom coverage completed

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The platform reaches coverage across the United Kingdom in June.

• 2017

  CEA nomination

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Local Heroes is nominated for the Best New Proposition Award at the CEA.

• 2016

  Service launches in Croydon

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Local Heroes launches in February with limited availability in the Croydon area.

• 2016

  West Midlands expansion

  [1]Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The service expands into the West Midlands in October.

A digitally enabled, British Gas-backed marketplace offering access to vetted independent tradespeople for household maintenance and repair work.

• Home services marketplace · 2016

  Local Heroes marketplace

  The core Local Heroes service matched household customers with independent plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, drainage specialists, handymen, decorators, plasterers, tilers, locksmiths, and appliance engineers. Customers submitted job details online, received a data-informed estimated price range, and then considered a final quote from a participating professional. The service incorporated platform payment processing and a British Gas-backed guarantee for eligible work.

• Tradesperson software · 2018

  Toolbox

  Toolbox was a Local Heroes app launched in August 2018 for the independent tradespeople on the network. It supported the digital side of the marketplace by giving professionals a mobile channel for receiving or managing jobs. The available reference material does not specify the full feature set beyond its role as a tradesperson-facing tool.

• 2023

  Close the Local Heroes platformStrategy

  Background

  British Gas stated that it was responding to growing demand for its own services.

  Action taken

  British Gas announced in September that Local Heroes would close in October, and the platform ceased trading on 20 October 2023.

  Aftermath

  Local Heroes became a defunct brand; the supplied material does not identify a successor platform or ownership transfer.

  Source

• 2018

  Introduce Toolbox for tradespeopleProduct launch

  Background

  Local Heroes needed a dedicated digital interface for the independent professionals fulfilling jobs through its marketplace.

  Action taken

  The brand launched Toolbox, an app for tradespeople, in August 2018.

  Aftermath

  Toolbox became part of the platform's operational model until Local Heroes ceased trading.

  Source

• 2016

  Launch a British Gas-backed tradesperson marketplaceProduct launch

  Background

  Centrica, through British Gas, introduced Local Heroes to connect customers with independent household service professionals through a digital platform.

  Action taken

  The service launched with limited Croydon availability and used a combination of customer job forms, price estimates, professional quotations, digital payments, and a British Gas-backed guarantee.

  Aftermath

  The platform expanded geographically through 2017 and later added tools for participating tradespeople.

  Source

1. 1Local Heroes (company)en.wikipedia.org