HRP Trade, a heating and plumbing spare parts specialist, has launched a new temporary service to ensure that independent merchants that have had to close due to the coronavirus pandemic are still able to provide their customers with product.

The company has set up a new website, www.heatingreplacementparts.co.uk, which tradespeople can use to order the parts they require to keep providing services to their customers during the pandemic. 

The initiative has been set up to support independent merchants, so for any tradespeople not directed to the site by their local HRP merchant, if they make a purchase through the site they are asked for their postcode. Any sales will be credited to their nearest HRP Trade merchant, which will generate a monthly commission of 10% of the spare part order value for the merchant.

Neil Lake, Managing Director at HRP Trade, said: "After receiving a large number of calls from our loyal merchant customer base explaining the forced closure of their business due to the coronavirus, and the feeling that the financial pressures that could possibly be incurred, might determine whether they are in fact able to re-open again in the future, I discussed with my web development team the prospect of how quickly we could develop a temporary solution that might allow for a sales commission while under furlough, as well as allowing the merchant to demonstrate to their customers the desire to offer continuity, and hopefully in turn, customer loyalty once normality resumes. 

"After five days of 24 hour shifts, we launched www.heatingreplacementparts.co.uk, which has been welcomed with delight by our fantastic group of more than 800 independent merchants across the length and breadth of the country, and will hopefully contribute towards them restarting their business in the near future."