Energy toughens

MANY energy suppliers will fall by the wayside over the next few years, says Australian Gas Light Company managing director Len Bleasel.

“The sales and marketing of energy is a tough business. Everyone is promoting themselves as the one-stop energy shop,” Mr Bleasel told those present at a recent Securities Institute luncheon.

To survive, Mr Bleasel believes companies will need to have at least one million customers on their books.

“The ones at the bottom just won’t survive,” he said.

“You look at the top five or six (energy companies) and that’s where the opportunities lie and where the game will be played.”

Mr Bleasel said his company’s active 2.6 million client database gave it the scope to venture into other business areas.