In the spirit of CROSSHIRE Sir Stelios, of EasyJet fame, enters the UK hire market. His offering is small scale
for now, but might not remain that way for long. Meanwhile, Roy is already reaching for the emergency exit.
YOUR EXITS ARE HERE AND HERE
I realise that I am an old cynic who’s seen it all before and has that many tee-shirts I could open a shop to rival Fat Willy’s Surf Shak in Newquay, but this week I have come across a truly new thing, which takes the Chocolate Hobnob!
In the past I’ve seen SGB, the scaffolding giant, go into aerial work platforms, have a complete disaster and slide back down the pole at breakneck speed. I’ve also seen world- leading car and van rental experts Hertz come in to the UK market, lose money and reverse back out again. Even giant financial institution GE tried it and then realised it wasn’t the fatted calf they’d been led to believe, resulting in them cashing out. However, this week I have been made aware of a brand new entrant and one so out of the left field that it will make you think…
‘EasyToolhire’ is the new name on the block. Never heard of them? Me neither, but they are a new venture formed in Italy as easyNoleggio (EasyRental) and, wait for it - they are backed by EASYJET. Yes, The one founded by that charismatic Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the Monaco-based Billionaire.
Sir Stelios is a man I’ve admired for some time and I thought he was the acceptable face of leadership for the budget airline industry - which has its fair share of (shall we say) ‘characters’.
This is an interesting departure for the Easy Group, especially as the money spent on a Boeing aircraft could fund a staggering number of Kango hammers, cement mixers, petrol cutting saws and the likes. Does this mean that the virulent Orange will soon adorn all of their equipment and locations? Is one to assume that their head office will be in Luton? Will their depots be staffed by stunning size-6 Hire Hostesses wearing tight skirts, steel-toe-capped high heels
and neck scarfs? Will the Depot Manager announce over a tannoy “Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to the EasyToolhire depot, we are currently cruising at 68% utilisation and if you look to your left you will see our extensive range of drill bits. Your Hire Controllers today will be Sophia and Gabriella and they will be coming amongst you offering an exclusive range of gloves, masks, ear defenders and eye protection. At this time we’d like to thank you for hiring from EasyHire and wish you a pleasant onward day digging footings.”...?
I’d like to know what these folks know about the UK hire market that the rest of us do not?
I’d guess that being in this market is currently marginally more profitable than the airline business, at least whilst COVID-19 is in force. But is this the start of a move by others that feel our industry is a chance to find that elusive pot of gold? One thing is for certain, I can’t wait to hear their sales patter: “Yes sir, we can do you a 1.5t excavator tomorrow. Oh, you want buckets, that’s extra, and you want tracks, that is extra too, and you’ll be wanting a seat…… have you pre-booked the seat, because there is a surcharge for that. Oh and have you paid for priority delivery?”
If this is the way the industry is moving, with a myriad of new competitors all vying for an ever decreasing customer base, then can you show me where the departure lounge is please?
Happy Hiring.
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