Kennards Hire Cements Its Legacy With 200th Branch in Morwell, Victoria

Australian family-owned and operated equipment hire company, Kennards Hire, has just opened its 200th branch in Morwell, Victoria.

The significant milestone falls in the company’s 75th birthday year of making the job easy for customers all over Australia and New Zealand.

Having recently expanded into regional Victoria with the acquisition of Bendigo Hire, the Gippsland region acquisitions further cements the company’s network footprint in regional Victoria. Now with 38 locations across the State, the new Morwell ‘supersite’ Branch, encompassing the equipment offering of both ProRent’s and CanDo Hire’s sites in the town, secured the official 200th branch title.  

Kennards Hire CEO Bill Whitehouse said that with three new branches opening across the region on the same day, plus one more in Albany, Western Australia, the decision about which one to label as the 200th branch took a bit of out-of-the-box thinking.

“We’ve seen quality growth over the past 12 months, and with every branch just as important to us as the rest, we did what made the most sense to us: we flipped a coin,” shared Mr Whitehouse.

“With every one of the 200 branches we have opened; we aim to understand the needs of the local community and businesses to ensure we give them the best product and customer service experience possible. This customer-centric ethos is what has served us well over the past 75 years in business.”

Complementing the access, fleet, and general equipment already on offer, Kennards Hire will be offering its full range of DIY, construction, and heavy industry equipment, as well as providing support to the Maryvale Paper Mill with a full-time team member being based at the site.

Mr Whitehouse said the milestone is a testament to Kennards Hire’s commitment and understanding of the needs and motivations of its customers. 

“You don’t last in business for as long as Kennards Hire has been around without developing a special and long-term rapport with your customers, suppliers and people alike,” said Mr Whitehouse.

Kennards Hire Victorian general manager Lance Hawes said he was excited to lean on the experience and local knowledge that the ProRent and CanDo Hire team members joining the Kennards Hire family would bring to their new role.

“It’s great to see that every ProRent and CanDo Hire staff member decided to join the Kennards Hire family after we extended the invitation. When we expand into a new area, we know that this local knowledge and continuity is instrumental in providing the best support possible to the local community,” said Mr Hawes.

“We look forward to adding our breadth of experience and resources to a team that knows and understands its customers, making it as convenient as possible for our customers to get the job done.”

ProRent operations manager Mick Gardam said that he knew that Kennards Hire would do a great job upholding the values that led to the creation of ProRent in 2006.

“Myself, Trevor, and Mark created the company all those years ago because we were familiar with the frustration of finding reliable, accessible sources for equipment and supplies, and have built our business around a commitment to meeting the many needs of contractors and individuals with a full range of equipment for the various industries and individuals in the region,” Mr Gardam said.

“As a family-owned and operated business themselves, I know the Kennards team will do a great job ensuring our customers' needs continue to come first and have the equipment they need to get the job done.”

To celebrate the official opening of the 200th branch, Kennards Hire will see staff from across the region invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and morning tea at the Morwell site.  

The announcement builds on two other new branches now operational in Taupo, New Zealand, and Albany, Western Australia, both of which opened in October.

Selected pieces of ProRent and CanDo Hire equipment and memorabilia will be sent to Sydney and housed in the Kennards Hire Museum.

The new branches are located at:

1. 515-519 Princes Dr, Morwell, Victoria 3840
2. 68 Princes Hwy, Sale, Victoria 3850
3. 12 Loughran Dr, Wonthaggi, Victoria 3995

 

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