WHAT'S in a name? Everything and nothing if you look at some of the UK's leading companies. Take Marks & Spencer, for example. The name contains no hint that its business is high street retailing, but the name as a brand conjures consumer perceptions of quality and value for money.

So when Hertz Leasing International and its UK subsidiary Hertz Leasing were forced to change their names, the companies spent considerable time and effort evaluating what the Hertz name meant to customers, suppliers and employees. The situation arose in the first place following the flotation of 20% of the Hertz Corporation on the US Stock Exchange.

Previously the rental company and leasing operation shared the same ultimate parent in Ford, but as part of the flotation it was decided to amalgamate all the Hertz brands into a larger single entity owned by the rental division. Axus was the name the company settled upon, already the legal name of Hertz Leasing International's local operations in the UK, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The name has now been registered wherever possible all around the world, and local operations will be titled Axus, followed by the name of the country in the local country, such as Axus UK, Axus Italiana or Axus Deutschland, all covered by the umbrella of Axus International.