Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation has bought Viamat of France from Wyseplant, a subsidiary of UK construction group Bovis.
Viamat’s operations, based at five depots in the Paris area and one in Toulose, will be merged into Hertz Equipment Rental. This brings to nine the number of outlets operated by Hertz in France. Viamat’s revenues amount to $8m a year.
Jean Claude Ghiotti, general manager for Hertz Equipment Rental in Europe, said the acquisition marked the first stage of a planned expansion of Hertz’s equipment business in Europe.
“As our plan unfolds, we expect to make further acquisitions in France and elsewhere in Europe. We also plan to open new locations in Spain where we presently have two locations,” said Ghiotti.
He added: “By using the strength of the Hertz brand and capitalising on our experience, we intend to become a significant competitive force in the European equipment rental market.” Hertz is already a major player in the US construction plant hire market with 134 locations, as well as being internationally established in the car rental business.
