Kennards Hire expands into New Zealand

Family-owned equipment hire company, Kennards Hire, has expanded into New Zealand by acquiring the business of McEntee Hire.

The move gives Kennards nine equipment centres in Auckland, its first outside Australia, and brings the total branch network to 138.

Kennards will invest heavily in expanding the range and depth of equipment available to contractors, tradesmen, businesses and home improvers.

McEntee Hire owner Bill McEntee said he was pleased to be able to sell his business to another family-owned company that had the same core values.

“After 35 years in the business, I wanted to do something different, and I can do that knowing my customers are in good hands,” he said.

“I have known Andy Kennard and their senior management for many years through our hire industry associations, and they have the same basic ethics of fairness and doing the right thing by customers.

Kennards is putting a lot of new equipment into the branches, which will be a plus for customers, and the faces of the people who look after them will be the same because all our people were offered the chance to stay on.”

General Manager of Kennards Hire New Zealand, Tom Kinross, said McEntee Hire was highly respected in the industry, and had very loyal customers.

“We will be bending over backwards to maintain that rapport while expanding the range and depth of equipment and introducing our systems that will deliver great customer service,” he said.

Andy Kennard, whose father started the business 64 years ago, said his family was proud to be able to continue McEntee Hire’s work within a family business framework.

“We welcome our new employees, and look forward to them developing their careers with us,” he said.

Kennards CEO Allen Besseling said there would be benefits for both new and existing customers.

“We welcome the opportunity to show a new group of customers what Kennards is about, and we are also delighted we will be able to do a better job for customers who operate in both countries,” he said.

For further information, visit www.kennardshire.co.nz