A new vehicle hire business is launching itself into the Midlands market and has already created five jobs, with the aid of property experts at Bulleys.
The specialist commercial property agency has helped businessman Paul Francis set up an engineering and maintenance hub at The Wallows Industrial Estate in Brierley Hill that will serve his fleet as it expands across the region.
At an age when many of his contemporaries are considering long holidays and more golf, 65-year-old Mr Francis’s version of retirement is to sell up his other businesses and focus on building his new National Vehicle Rentals venture.
Based on the 300-strong existing fleet he operates from a 100,000 sq ft site in Ross-on-Wye, Mr Francis has set up a new engineering hub at Brierley Hill to support his plans to open further hubs across Dudley, Birmingham, Coventry and the rest of the Midlands.
“This is as close as I can come to retirement,” he said. “I’m just going to focus on the one business. I’d just get bored otherwise.
“I’ve been running a vehicle business at Ross-on-Wye for a few years and there’s clearly a healthy market for van and car hire. I plan to open a series of hubs, just 500 sq ft to 750 sq ft, with three to five people working at each.
“The first hub at Brierley Hill will provide the engineering and maintenance back-up as the business expands and further hubs open.”
He is already recruiting the five-strong team to work at Brierley Hill.
Mr Francis worked with Angela Holland, the agency assistant at Bulleys, the Black Country-based chartered surveyors and commercial property experts, to secure the right site to launch his ambitious plans.
As a result he has taken a £6,500 per annum three year lease on the 1,001 sq ft Unit 22 at The Wallows, on Fens Pool Avenue in Brierley Hill. The site also benefits from an adjoining yard area.
Bulleys handled the lease deal on behalf of the site’s London-based landlord.
Mr Francis added: “Angela was a delight to deal with. The people at Bulleys clearly know their stuff, which is why I am using them to look for further sites to expand the business.”
Angela Holland, at Bulleys, said: “With our extensive knowledge of the commercial and industrial property market across the region, this is exactly the kind of ambitious business we can assist in finding the right premises.
“We look forward to working further with Mr Francis as his business continues to expand across the region.”