Harpin scouts for new 取引，協定s after HomeServe 株 sale

By Angela Jameson
Updated: 09:57 BST, 24 November 2010

The 実業家 behind the Scout 協会's new entrepreneur badge has banked £68m after selling a third of his 火刑／賭ける in home 緊急 group HomeServe.

Richard Harpin, the 46-yearold 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある, said he wa s selling his 株 to diversify his 投資 大臣の地位, but his move spooked 投資家s.

株 in HomeServe fell by 5pc 最初, but 回復するd later to の近くに 負かす／撃墜する 4p at 422p.

If the Scouts had a sharedumping badge, he would be a 候補者 to 勝利，勝つ it after his 大規模な sell-off.

But Harpin, who started HomeServe's 24-hour 'man in a 先頭' company in 1993 when he was working for South Staffordshire Water, 主張するd that he was committed to the 商売／仕事 for the long 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語, 追加するing: 'There is never a good time to sell but this is my one and only sale.

'I still get up at 5am every day and there are more growth 適切な時期s today than I have ever known.'

He 保持するs a 12pc 火刑／賭ける in the group, 価値（がある） an 注目する，もくろむ watering £175m.

Earlier this year, the 実業家, who 飛行機で行くs his own ヘリコプター from his home in York to his office in Walsall every day, 寄付するd £50,000 to the Scouts to help 開始する，打ち上げる a badge for bud-ding young entrepreneurs. The company yesterday 報告（する）／憶測d that 歳入s had climbed by 19pc in the first half of the year, with 税込みの 利益（をあげる）s up 13pc to £21.3m. The 暫定的な （株主への）配当 rose to 3.3p from 2.3p a year ago.

The 会社／堅い began 拡大するing in the US this year, striking a を取り引きする 国家の Grid to sell 政策s for old boilers and heating systems to American homeowners.

It is also in 会談 with other US 公共事業（料金）／有用性s to 扱う sales of 国内の 保険 to their cu stomers. 政策 sales in the US have leapt by 36pc and 歳入s across the pond have climbed 73pc in the first six months of the year, to £15.1m.

The UK 顧客 base is also 推定する／予想するd to continue to grow by 3pc to 4pc a year.

Winter is 伝統的に the time when HomeServe's 商売／仕事 加速するs and a 冷淡な snap will be good for the company, によれば Harpin - it will 誘発する people to buy home 緊急 政策s in 事例／患者 of burst 麻薬を吸うs or boiler 決裂／故障s.

'Our 顧客s say we are an 必須の,' he said. 'We take away the worry of large 修理 法案s.'