Asheville, North Carolina-Volvo Construction Equipment Rents (Volvo Rents) has grown from 16 to 40 locations in North America in 2003, selling more than 400 units of Volvo equipment through the rental channel and tallying up 25,000 end-use customers. For 2004, they project 55 new locations to open, with agreements signed for 61 additional units by the end of the year.
Franchising provided a channel to bring compact wheel loaders to profitable market sections across the country. For a one-time franchise fee of $35,000, Volvo Rents franchisees receive use of the Volvo brand, financial assistance through Volvo Commercial Finance, a fleet purchasing program for non-Volvo products, proprietary business planning software, proprietary customer relationship management software, a proprietary point-of-sale operating system, training, facility design, operating manuals, and regional and local marketing. -Fishman PR
