SPORTSWEAR company Nike has signed a sale and leaseback deal with Lease Plan for its 86-strong company car fleet in the UK and Ireland. Lease Plan will also provide fleet management for a further 28 Nike vehicles, and cover the entire fleet with its accident management programme.

Charlie Wadsworth, Nike's financial controller, said the company had switched from outright purchase to leasing largely because it wanted to reduce the administrative burden of running a fleet. The leasing and fleet management company's new IT system, and particularly its electronic range, impressed Nike during a tender process in which it evaluated six other leasing companies.