FLEETLEASE has seen new business grow 40% with the fleet being boosted from about 10,500 to 12,000 during the last six months. Interim results for parent company Hitachi Credit (UK) - the first since its flotation in July - show that Fleetlease's gross profit has risen 21% to 3.1m.

Managing director Rob Whalley said the customer base had been boosted by a series of new deals covering anything from 10 to 500 vehicles. He said: 'We are enjoying the benefits of some of the larger deals signed last year, such as with Kent County Council and KPMG, but we have also added about 40 new customers during the last six months. We have been focusing on improving customer services and have done well in independent surveys. We have also been looking at trying to improve our margins in the market place.