Vauxhall and Burnt Tree in multi-million pound deal

A multi-million pound deal between Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles and Burnt Tree Vehicle Solutions will see the rental company take 2,370 new Vauxhalls into its fleet during 2008.

It’s a significant part of the £65 million the Burnt Tree Group will spend this year alone on increasing the size and scope of its fleet, bringing the total invested in fleet growth and modernisation to more than £130 million in the last two years.

The vehicles – Combo and Vivaro vans and Corsa, Astra and Vectra cars – will make up over a quarter of the Burnt Tree rental fleet. This currently stands at over 8,000 vehicles from cars and light commercials to specialist vehicles and 44 tonne tractive units.

The new Vauxhalls will be available to customers at all 16 Burnt Tree depots throughout the UK, including a new depot which has just opened in Grays, Essex and which marks the company’s move into the South East market.

Richard Metcalfe, CEO of the fast-growing Shrewsbury based rental company, says that the deal cements a long-standing partnership with Vauxhall that will continue to deliver positive benefits to Burnt Tree customers across the UK.

“Vauxhall products are well liked by our customers and the current range of light commercials and cars offers them a good choice of vehicles to suit their needs,” he says. “They are regarded as well-designed, well-built, tried and tested products.

“From our point of view Vauxhall is an excellent company to partner with. We share strong values around the importance of delivering the highest standards of customer service and their quality, delivery, after-sales, technical support and account management skills are first class.

In the two years since a new management team took over at Burnt Tree the company has gone from strength to strength. The rental fleet has grown substantially and new specialist markets have been developed. A programme of continuous expansion has seen two new greenfield sites open each year, with a new depot set to open in Yorkshire in May to accompany the one recently opened in Essex.

Richard Metcalfe says that their success is down to offering customers flexible solutions to their vehicle hire needs. “These new Vauxhall vans and cars will be available across our product range, enabling customers to choose a service and a vehicle according to their circumstances.”

Maurice Howkins, Fleet Director at Vauxhall, said: “We are delighted to have secured this substantial order from Burnt Tree Vehicle Solutions. They are a company with a strong and growing reputation for providing innovative rental solutions using high quality vehicles and backed by excellent levels of service. We at Vauxhall are totally committed to ensuring that they and their customers enjoy class-leading vehicles and service support.”

Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles is enjoying considerable success with sales of its van range in the UK. During 2007 almost 53,000 were sold, notching up a 15.7% market share. During the year it also won six major awards, including two for the new Corsavan and the coveted Green Fleet manufacturer of the year award.