Selwood buys again with Proplant deal

UK rental company and pump specialist Selwood Ltd has followed up its recent acquisition of Glo Hire by acquiring Proplant Ltd, a four-depot rental company operating in Wales and south west England.

Proplant was established in 2001 and has depots in Cardiff, Swansea, Milford Haven and Bristol. It employs 40 people and joint founders, Glyn Charles and Paul Rowsell, will stay with the business.

Selwood Group managing director, Chris Garrett, said, "The Proplant business has a very strong brand in Wales and the South West and the combination of our businesses offer some great opportunities to us. We are not reliant on achieving cost savings from the combined operation to make the acquisition successful".

Mr Garrett said the acquisitions of Glo Hire and now Proplant sent a signal to the market about its commitment to rental, "despite the current uncertainty in the market place".

Over 60 years old, Selwood is one of the largest privately owned plant hire companies in the UK, with sales in 2007 of £49 million, up 14% over 2006. The company has a rental fleet of over 12000 items of non-operated equipment - including a large pump fleet - and over the last two years has invested over £20 million in new equipment.