Press releases

2005-09-15Europcar strengthens its position in Finland

Mr Ossi Dahlström, owner of the company Interrent Oy, which is the Finnish licence holder of Europcar-brand, the leading car rental company in Europe, has sold Interrent Oy’s shares to High Point Oy. The terms of the contract are not being disclosed. Ownership of the company’s stock was transferred in a contract of sale concluded on 5 September 2005. High Point Oy is the property of Mr Jussi Holopainen and Mr Matti Holopainen, who are the second-generation owners of car hire company Pohjan Autovuokraamo Oy.

 

“The deal gives a powerful boost to Europcar’s position in the Finnish market, where it is aiming for leadership”, says Ossi Dahlström. The sales growth target for 2006 is 30%. Europcar Finland employs about 100 people nationwide. Interrent Oy's budgeted turnover for 2005 is €11 million.

 

Matti Holopainen, 45, is the Chairman of Interrent Oy’s Board of Directors and Jussi Holopainen, 40, has been appointed Managing Director. The appointment takes effect on 1 January 2006, up to which date Ossi Dahlström will continue his duties as Managing Director. Ossi Dahlström, an entrepreneur, has led the company for the past 11 years. “The acquisition is our way of responding to increasingly intensive competition. In the future, only cost-effective and sufficiently large organisations can make it in the car hire business,” says Chairman Matti Holopainen.

 

Pohjan Autovuokraamo Oy was established in 1977 and the company has operated a Hertz car rental franchise in northern Finland since 1990. The company has a strong customer-oriented focus and was the first representative of the car rental sector to participate in the Finnish Tourist Board’s Quality 1000 programme. High Point Oy, established in 1992, is a sister company of Pohjan Autovuokraamo Oy.

 

Recreational and replacement vehicle segments new sources of growth

 

“The merger will bring together the competence and resources of two strong actors. The acquisition will enable us to create a nationwide, service-oriented source of car rental solutions. Existing and new customers will benefit from increased reliability, better availability and our customer-oriented operating model, “says Jussi Holopainen, the future Managing Director of Interrent Oy. “Our customers consider it essential that they can depend on the smooth functioning and high quality of our service in all situations, even at short notice,” he continues.

The company’s main segments are business and holiday travel, replacement vehicles and public sector transport. The new owners will invest especially into developing the availability of services, e-commerce and the replacement vehicle service.

 

Europcar is number one in Europe

 

 “This acquisition will significantly strengthen Europcar’s position in the Finnish car hire market. Market leadership in Europe provides us with a firm foundation for future plans,” says Arnd Rieken, Director International Franchise network for Europcar.

 

Europcar is represented in 143 countries with 2,825 rental stations and operates a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles throughout Europe, Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific. In Finland, Europcar offers access to approximately 1300 vehicles through 53 service centres in 32 different towns and cities. Further information is available under http://www.europcar.com, at your travel agency, or through any Europcar call centre.

 

Additional information is available through Matti Holopainen
tel. +358 400 600 788."

 

 

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