CHARTERED Trust is to combine its two largest contract hire and leasing businesses - ACL and Autolease - into a new Birmingham-based company called ACL Autolease. The new millennium transformation will see ACL relocate from Chartered Trust premises in Cardiff and Autolease, which is already based in Birmingham, relocate to new premises close to Birmingham Airport.

Chartered Trust also owns Motorent but it will continue to be based in Stanmore. Simultaneously there is to be a rationalisation of the boards of the two companies with Autolease managing director Martin Tucker, finance director Tony Guest and internal operations director Barry Hall presently 'considering their positions'.

The new board will be headed by ACL managing director Paul Blake and will also comprise ACL director and general manager Simon Richmond, ACL sales and marketing director Colin Thornton, who will become customer service director in the newly-combined group, and Autolease sales director John Given, who will hold a similar job title in the new set-up.

The move and renaming of the business is due to a combination of reasons including utilising modern computer systems across the group, shortage of office space at Chartered Trust's Cardiff headquarters and a requirement to use skills across the whole group for business continuity. Motorent will remain a self-contained business within the near 54,000-strong vehicle group serving the sub-50 fleet sector.