COWIE Interleasing is on the acquisition trail in preparation for a move into the European car leasing market. The contract hire giant has been exploring the potential for European business opportunities and is focusing on the French, German and Dutch markets.

Group chief executive Gordon Hodgson said although Cowie's car leasing operation had recently been overshadowed by high profile acquisitions by the bus division, the 70,000-vehicle Interleasing operation was still a crucial part of the group's activities.

Cowie already has overseas interests through a series of strategic alliances with American, Canadian and Scandinavian leasing companies. Formerly known as Interleasing Europa, the network has provided Cowie with an insight into the opportunities for expansion into new markets.

The company believes its expertise in the UK leasing market can be applied to other European markets where it will launch new products through the subsidiaries it acquires. To facilitate this process, Cowie is already producing fleet management software in several different languages.