Rental company expands again

INDEPENDENT hire firm Fork Rent plc, which is based in Suffolk, has acquired the mechanical assets of Leicestershire-based rental business Swift Plant Hire, the in-house plant business of David Wilson Homes.

The deal, the value of which has not been disclosed, adds more than 120 telescopic handlers and around 20 delivery vehicles to the Fork Rent plant fleet, bringing it to a total of more than 1,400 units.

As part of the acquisition, Fork Rent has also signed an 18-month sole-supply agreement with David Wilson Homes, to provide plant and equipment to all of the company's house building sites across the UK.

Fork Rent, based in Ipswich, currently runs more than 1,200 machines in its hire fleet, more than half of which are telescopic handlers. The firm had already been supplying machines to many of David Wilson's sites, but will now provide a complete plant service to the house building contractor.

“There was a great deal of synergy between the two fleets, but this deal will mean more than simply adding 120 machines to our business,” said Fork Rent director Guy Nicholls.

“We run the youngest fleet of telehandlers in the country, 14 months is the maximum turnaround for our machines. We will, therefore, be renewing all of these additional telehandlers within the next six months.

“This acquisition is part of our ongoing plan to grow the business, and we will be making further announcements in the coming months.”

Fork Rent is a family business, run by Mr Nicholls and his sister Trudi. The firm, started by their father in 1972, is one of the leading suppliers of telescopic handlers to the UK construction and building sector and also offers a comprehensive range of self-drive plant, including mini and midi excavators, access equipment, site dumpers, compaction machinery, backhoe loaders and excavators.

The group of businesses also include Trucks-R-Us, a supplier of new and used vans, trucks and motorhomes, and Redi Hire, a truck and van rental company, including lowloader hire.