Thrifty Car & Van Rental is planning to significantly increase the number of its outlets this year to increase its presence in the corporate hire sector.

By opening new outlets the company also hopes to substantially reduce the number of miles driven on deliveries and collections.

Thrifty estimates that more than five million miles are driven every year just to deliver and collect its rental vehicles.

The company said it hopes to have an outlet located no more than 30 miles from where a vehicle request is made.

In major conurbations the distance will be 15 miles.

As part of the move, new Thrifty locations will open in Darlington and Birmingham later this month, with outlets in Doncaster, Chester, Derby, Stoke-on-Trent, Shrewsbury, Hereford & Worcester, Newport, Swansea, Croydon, Dartford and Ashford opening later in the year.

The company’s managing director, Roger Hancock, explained why these locations have been chosen: “We have identified areas of weakness in the country with regard to our vehicle rental locations.

“However, this was not just a geographical exercise, but an analysis of the areas where we have experienced an increase in business from our national account corporate base.

“By identifying these areas and correlating them to the map of our branches and their delivery radius, we have been able to pick out the regions not yet covered efficiently by a Thrifty branch.”