Leaseplan becomes first leasing company to surpass 1.5 million vehicles worldwide
Leaseplan Corporation N.V has become the first leasing company to operate more than 1.5 million vehicles worldwide.
The leasing giant, which operates in 32 countries, was already the world’s largest vehicle management group after adding 70,000 vehicles to its global fleet in the first half of 2015, but sustained growth has seen it add another 8,000 since July.
Leaseplan’s path to the magic 1.5 million mark has seen it balloon from 1.3 million vehicles in 2010, and 1.4 million at the end of September 2014, representing an 8% year-on-year increase.
“Being the first company in our industry to reach the 1.5 million vehicle landmark confirms once again our global market leadership and underlines the success of our growth strategy,” said Nick Salkeld, Chief Commercial Officer at LeasePlan.
He added that quantity wasn’t the company’s main priority: “We do not just want to be market leaders in fleet size - this landmark also confirms the confidence that our customers have in our company and the great team of LeasePlan people in all our countries who deliver our services worldwide.
“We want to continue to be market leaders in all that we do: in customer service, in product innovation and in the driver mobility solutions we offer. And we are not complacent. We will continue with our drive for growth, for customer service excellence and our commitment to lead the market in making the lives of our customers easier.”
Leaseplan changed hands earlier this year for around €3.7 billion (roughly £2.6bn) after being acquired by a group of long term investors which included Dutch pension fund service provider PGGM, and Denmark’s largest pension fund ATP.
New faces
Established in 1979, Leaseplan’s UK division boasts a fleet comprising more than 138,000 cars and 37,000 commercial vehicles, and that is only expected to grow in the new year with the announcement of three new appointments.
Oliver Boots is now Brand Director at Automotive Leasing after moving over from Head of Product Services within Business Development.
Meanwhile, Rachel Hawthorne joins Leaseplan UK as Head of Marketing, along with new Digital Marketing Manager Neill Emmet.
Matthew Dyer, LeasePlan UK MD, said that the trio will “bring a huge amount of experience to the team, and I’m positive that their expertise will only further strengthen the LeasePlan brand and the industry-leading experience our customers receive.
“We’ve seen strong growth in 2015, and I am confident that Rachel, Neill and Oliver will all do much to ensure that this positive progress continues to grow, both this year and beyond.”