Rental company Europcar has agreed to supply a further 20 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans this year to office fruit delivery company, Fruidel through its long-term van rental scheme, Advantage for Vans, expanding the firm’s fleet to more than 40 Sprinter vans.
Fruidel, which was founded in January 2016, chose the rental option to avoid having to make the financial commitment of outright purchase and maintenance of a fleet of vans.
Based in Wilmslow, Cheshire, Fruidel supplies fruit baskets to 3,000 offices across the UK.
Stephen Bohen, founder and CEO of Fruidel, said: “As a growing business, long-term rental was the perfect transport solution for us. We needed a flexible option that didn’t involve tying up capital on outright vehicle acquisition.
“As our business expands so do our transport needs. We’ve grown at an unprecedented rate and the flexibility of Europcar’s long-term rental service has enabled us to double the size of our fleet in line with this demand. We’re due to take on 20 more Vans in 2019 without the significant outlay that would’ve come with acquisition.”
Bohen added: “Leasing was more flexible than acquisition but it didn’t give us any of the maintenance benefits that we get from Europcar. All of our costs fall under one bill with Europcar Advantage for Vans. The young age of the Mercedes vans means reliability is high. But if there is an issue our bill includes things like servicing, maintenance and even replacement tyres. And for any vehicle issues, Europcar come to us meaning our vehicle downtime is kept to an absolute minimum.
Stuart Russell, director Commercial Vehicles, Europcar UK Group, said: “Europcar Advantage for Vans – our long-term van rental proposition – allows Fruidel to focus on other investments by eliminating the long-term commitment of vehicle ownership. This was ideal for the business as a start-up and remains so as the business grows.