THRIFTY Car Rental has launched a dedicated commercial vehicle rental business to raise its profile in important sales areas and build profits. The site, in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, is a first-time move for the company, which has until now shared commercial vehicle space with car rental sites.

Thrifty has moved away from the traditional franchise route for the venture, running it through the firm's UK headquarters in High Wycombe as it tests the waters for the market before deciding whether to roll out the scheme nationally. Chris Adams has been taken on to manage the business, called Thrifty Truck Centre, which will offer a fleet of 40 vehicles ranging from Escort vans to 38-tonne trucks.

Adams said: 'The aim of the move into van and truck rental is threefold - first to establish a dedicated commercial vehicle base for Thrifty, second to take this concept to other major locations in the country, and finally to further promote the Thrifty brand, because unlike cars, vans will carry the Thrifty logo.'

Demand for vehicles from the new business is expected to build the fleet to more than 200 vehicles in the next two years.