Scot Group To Acquire Dollar Thrifty UK In Move To Become a National Player

Scot Group Ltd, the long established Exeter-based independent rental business, has this week acquired Flightform Ltd, the current UK master franchise holder for both Dollar and Thrifty brands, for an undisclosed sum, to coincide with the end of their franchise arrangements with Hertz.

Over the last 30 years, Scot Group Ltd has grown from one site in Exeter to 29 sites today across the south of England and East Anglia and has decided to spread its wings further through the acquisition of Flightform Ltd.

Nigel Spokes, owner and current Chief Executive of the Scot Group said, “We are delighted to make this announcement and are very excited about this significant move in the life of Scot Group. Although we have enjoyed a mutually beneficial franchise relationship with Hertz over the years, the time was right for us to grow further and the acquisition of Dollar Thrifty is the perfect move for us.”

As part of the deal, Scot Group Ltd will also be acquiring nine Dollar Thrifty franchised locations. As a result of the acquisition, the Dollar Thrifty network has increased from 70 locations, to 90, comprising of 38 corporate locations and 62 franchised locations, catapulting Dollar Thrifty into one of the UK’s largest daily rental networks with a fleet of 16,000 vehicles.

Andrew Burton, Managing Director of Flightform Ltd t/a Dollar Thrifty UK, commented, “In addition to this being great news for customers of Scot Group Ltd, this deal is excellent news for Dollar Thrifty customers across the UK. With the size of the network increasing significantly overnight, our already strong sales proposition is further enhanced, in terms of both fleet size and number of locations.”

The current Board of Directors of Thrifty will all be staying on to work with the Scot Group and will now be reporting to Roger Hancock of the Scot Group, who will now assume the role of Managing Director Dollar Thrifty UK.

Roger Hancock further commented “Both companies have built an enviable reputation for providing excellent customer service over many years and this acquisition will enable our clients, both old and new to enjoy an even better rental experience throughout the UK”.

Richard Ault, Managing Director of Dollar Thrifty Europe, further commented, “This is an exciting development for the Dollar Thrifty brand in the UK and we are very much looking forward to working with the Scot Group as they take the Dollar Thrifty brand to even greater heights in the years ahead”.

Transfer of over 25 Rental Branches from the Hertz counter system to Bluebird’s NetRent overnight on 31 March was achieved without a hitch. All branches were fully operational on NetRent from early the following morning. “NetRent is such an easy to use product that staff have taken to it exceptionally quickly”, commented Andrew Senn, Head of Systems for Thrifty in the UK. “Its advanced capabilities have allowed the rapid integration of significantly increased fleet and rental volumes without any deterioration in service levels. Virtually all Dollar Thrifty locations in the UK, both corporate and franchisees, now use NetRent, and receive reservations directly from our Central Reservation centre and from our web site.”

For further information, contact: 

Nigel Spokes

Chairman

Scot Group Ltd

0776 8527915

Roger Hancock

Managing Director Scot Group Ltd

0776 8661100

Andrew Burton

Managing Director Flightform Ltd

01494 751505

Richard Ault

M.D. Dollar Thrifty Europe

0207 3914600