AER Rents, an O’Flaherty Holdings group company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Welfare 4 Hire Ltd, an independent company who specialise in providing mobile welfare unit hire to sites across the UK.
Founded by Marc Prince & Stephen Dormer in 2013, with Mel Gould (now Sales Director) joining in 2017, the business trades from three dedicated locations covering the Midlands down to the South Coast. Welfare 4 Hire is a specialist provider of a comprehensive range of mobile welfare units for construction/plant hire, events and the utility markets. The business employs 14 staff and Marc and Mel will continue in their leadership roles.
This latest exciting acquisition provides AER Rents access to the welfare sector, allowing the group to offer a wider range of products and services to its customers while sites are in the early stages of development.
O’Flaherty Holdings is an organisation well known in Ireland, primarily through its role in the development of the Irish motor industry. Founded in the 1940s by legendary motor industry entrepreneur, the late Stephen O’Flaherty, the group continues to be owned and managed by members of the O’Flaherty family. Its subsidiaries include Motor Distributors Limited, distributors in Ireland of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles and MSL – a network of independent motor dealerships providing sales and after-sales service for Mercedes-Benz, Mazda & Skoda.
The group first invested in plant hire in 2014 with the acquisition of London based Mr Plant Hire and last year also acquired Ireland-based Drogheda Hire & Sales & Midlands-based Mainline Group. Each business will retain its identity, while capitalising on the strengths of their collective offerigs and reach across the UK and Ireland.
AER Rents will continue to expand its presence in the plant hire market through a combination of strategic acquisitions and organic growth, offering its customers access to a wider offering of modern products and services. The group was advised by KPMG Corporate Finance & Legal Services, Dublin. Welfare 4 Hire was supported by Riches & Co in Cobham and Nelsons Law, located in Nottingham. The sale was brokered by the Hire Exchange Ltd in London.
In a separate comment, founder Marc Prince said “Welfare 4 Hire are excited to join the AER group and for the opportunities this will bring. Additional investment will allow us to accelerate our growth plans and expand our product range. Future depot expansion into the North of England will further improve our geographical coverage and maintain our high level of customer service. We will continue to work closely with our preferred suppliers to ensure we offer the best welfare facilities in the UK”
