Enterprise Rent-A-Car Partners With Sfakianakis Group in Greece to Unlock Car Hire Opportunity in South Eastern Europe

Enterprise's European Presence Grows Into Greece With Further Expansion Planned Across South Eastern Europe

News provided by
Enterprise Holdings
March 06, 2013 14:12 Korea Standard Time

LONDON--(Korea Newswire)--Enterprise Rent-A-Car has announced the appointment of its third European franchisee this year, Sfakianakis Group, as yet another step in its commitment to establish the flagship brand as a global car rental provider.

Following Enterprise Rent-A-Car's recent expansion into France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, and combined with its established presence in the UK, Ireland and Germany, this latest agreement in Greece will give the brand access to countries that together represent almost 90 percent of the European rental market.

With Sfakianakis Group receiving territorial franchise rights across other contiguous countries in South Eastern Europe, the relationship also opens the door to further expansion. Other territories covered include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia.

Greece is one of the top 10 most popular tourist destinations in Europe with over 16 million tourists each year, making this new partnership a significant opportunity to grow the Enterprise brand. The ability to develop a network in the surrounding countries adds incredible strategic benefit to the relationship. The acquisitions of Citer in France and ATESA in Spain, together with the arrangements in Portugal, Italy and Greece, demonstrate how Enterprise is committed to developing a European network fully able to meet the increasing needs of both domestic and international leisure and business travelers.

Founded in 1957, Sfakianakis Group is the largest automotive group in Greece, operating several motor related businesses, including the import and distribution of automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, construction and agricultural and industrial machinery. The leasing and rental arm of the Group, Executive Lease, with whom the master franchisee agreement will be operated, was founded in 1998 to provide leasing and rental services to the local market. Currently operating some 52 locations across mainland Greece and its islands, including at major airports, Executive Lease prides itself on its award-winning commitment to customer service.

This latest partnership continues the European expansion of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand. With Enterprise Holdings and its brands already recognized as having the largest global network, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is rapidly establishing itself as a significant pan-European leader in car rental.

“This is yet another opportunity to establish the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand in countries where our customers are asking us to be. Rental continues to be recognized as affordable and convenient for businesses and leisure travelers,” said Jim Burrell, senior vice president, European operations, for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “Our commitment to be the best transportation service provider in the world remains unchanged. This is reflected in the values of Sfakianakis Group, and their track record in customer service. We look forward to developing this relationship further and establishing our brand in even more countries in the region.”

Commenting on the agreement, Stavros P. Taki, CEO for Sfakianakis Group, said: “Our partnership with Enterprise provides a real strategic advantage for both our companies. But more importantly, it sees the creation of a relationship between two businesses focused on delivering the highest standards of service to our customers. This new agreement will enable us to benefit from inbound leisure and business travelers, but also give us a strong and consistent network for Greek residents travelling overseas. As businesses we share similar philosophies built around a proposition of value and we very much look forward to being part of the growing Enterprise Rent-A-Car network.”

“This partnership was important for our European growth strategy,” said Peter A. Smith, vice president of global franchising, Enterprise. “With a continuing increase in demand for rental in business hubs and tourist destinations, the agreement with Sfakianakis Group enables us to develop a presence, not only in one of the most popular European tourist destinations, but also across the entire Balkan region and beyond. The opportunity to partner with a company that has such a strong pedigree and service ethos as Sfakianakis Group is a reflection of our commitment to ensure our brand is operated by companies committed to delivering the same high-value, competitive service our customers have come to expect.”

Founded in 1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an internationally recognized brand with more than 7000 neighborhood and airport locations in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Through tremendous leadership and the entrepreneurial spirit of its employees, Enterprise has built the largest car rental brand in North America, known for exceptionally low rates and outstanding customer service. Today, Enterprise offers a wide variety of car leasing, vanpooling, car sharing and hourly rental programs.

Sfakianakis SA was established in 1957 and remains family owned. With 500,000 customers, more than 800 employees and EUR245m revenues in 2011, Sfakianakis is now the largest automotive group in Greece, leading the market in automotive retail across eight businesses in Greece, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Specialist services include the import and distribution of automobiles, motorcycles, trucks and buses, the import and distribution of machinery for the construction, industrial and agricultural sectors, and a network of 24 dealerships retailing brands including Suzuki, BMW, Mini, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Volvo, Ford, Opel, Renault, Dacia and Cadillac, as well as car rental and leasing services.

Website: http://www.enterpriseholdings.com

Contact

Spencer King
Enterprise Rent-A-Car

This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.