GE Capital Fleet Services has completed a £1.5 million re-development of its car refurbishment centre at Leasecontracts' Pitchill site near Evesham.

The company will use the new in-house vehicle workshops and technical facilities to refurbish and remarket upwards of 4,000 vehicles per year - the total capacity is 8,000 cars annually - from Avis Fleet Services, Leasecontracts and Cochrane's Fleet Services. The redevelopment follows GE Capital Fleet Services' £37.5 million acquisition of Leasecontracts last year, and is one of the clearest examples of the two companies sharing best practices.

The new facility will considerably change the vehicle disposal techniques of both Avis and Cochranes, which had almost exclusively used auctions to sell ex-fleet vehicles. GE now expects half its vehicles to pass through auction, while the rest will pass through the Pitchill site for refurbishment before following alternative disposal routes, sold directly either to the driver or into the trade, with dealers buying cars pre-prepared for the forecourt.