An Oldham independent car and van hire company, which has been instrumental in setting industry standards, has won a national award.
County Car and Van Rental, which is based on Cross Street in Oldham and also has sites in Chester, Preston, Stockport and Warrington, has been named as the Rental Company of the Year at the prestigious What Van? Awards 2019.
The company, which was established in 1989, beat off competition from national brands to win the prestigious title which was a brand new category in the long-running awards.
The What Van? Awards recognised the outstanding performers in the light commercial vehicle industry across 19 categories.
County was presented with its Rental Company of the Year award by Chris Milton, What Van? Event Director at a glittering ceremony on 13 December in London.
Accepting the award Robert Hardman, General Manager of County Car and Van Rental, said: “We have many reasons to celebrate going into the New Year, not least winning such a prestigious industry accolade.
“In 2019 County also celebrates 30 years in business. Importantly, during this time, we have not stood still. We have invested heavily and grown the business extensively from a single site in Stockport with two cars and six vans, to a five-site company, 50 employees and an extensive fleet of vehicles. We continue to invest in and develop our fleet, technology and people.”
County was praised by judges for leading and innovating in the daily rental industry. James Dallas, Editor of What Van? explained: “County Car and Van Rental comes up with innovative ways to improve customer service, such as publishing a fair wear and tear guide for daily rental to help its customers reduce the amount of damage that is chargeable and by catering for bespoke requirements as well as offering standard panel vans, which is why it is a worthy winner of our first Rental Company of the Year award.”
Independently owned County Car and Van Rental is part of the United Rental Group (URG) network of Licensees which comprises more than 550 independent car and van hire companies, operating from over 700 locations nationwide.
In 2019, the business aims to further develop its offering with the support of URG by adding Personal Contract Hire to its service offering. It will also be adding additional hybrid and electric vehicles to its daily rental fleet to meet growing customer demand.
Mr Hardman explained: “Personal Contract Hire is an emerging market and I am delighted that County is able to be at the forefront it. Being a URG Licensee for more than 25 years has enabled us to grow the business. We’ve not only had support and advice from the URG team but also access to a wide variety of new vehicles which have enabled us to meet every customer need.”
