Norfolk company heads Down Under

A car hire company based in Norfolk is getting ready to take their business big and are launching new stores in Australia with plans to expand into the American and South African market soon.

Eight years ago, Economy Car Hire first opened its doors in Dereham, but today it can offer bookings in 22 destinations across the Continent and reports an annual turnover of £12.5 million.

The company, under the watchful eye of managing director Rory Sexton, who was 20 when he started it, will soon be making a big move and setting up shop in Australia.

“The majority of our customers are from the UK. Only a small percentage of clients are from other countries,” said Mr Sexton.

In the future, Economy Car Hire may go global, setting up outlets in other locations around the world beyond Europe and Australia.

“We looked at popular further-afield holiday destinations Britons take, and Australia, the US and South Africa all featured,” said Mr Sexton. “Australia was relatively easy to establish because it’s English speaking. We’re working on America and after that it will be South Africa. Our aim is to be worldwide.”

Mr. Sexton explained that Economy Car Hire started out from his home, as a way to bring in extra income on top of his IT business. The car rental part of the business got to so popular, however, that very soon it required a new office and his full time attention.

Mr. Sexton explained the attraction of renters to his company. “The advantage with us is we offer a totally fully inclusive package so there are no nasty extras if you need to claim,” he said. “But I blundered into offering fully inclusive packages. The success of this business has been based on luck and a lot of hard work.”

www.economycarhire.com