INTERNATIONAL management and accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers has appointed Arriva Automotive Solutions to fund and manage its 5,000-strong fleet. The deal will give a major boost to up-for-sale Arriva, and follows the merger between Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand last summer.

The merger prompted PricewaterhouseCoopers to reduce the number of its suppliers of all goods and services, including its company cars. This saw Price Waterhouse's incumbent supplier Arriva compete with Coopers & Lybrand's supplier Bridewell Group for the enlarged fleet.

A spokesman for PricewaterhouseCoopers said: 'When you get two firms of our size all suppliers are looked at because you only need one supplier. Sometimes it's a completely new supplier, but Arriva was Price Waterhouse's supplier, and we decided that was the way to go with the majority of the fleet.'

The new arrangement does not include the company cars of partners in PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Bridewell will continue to manage part of the firm's fleet. Arriva plc made a reference to the deal at the end of last year when it reversed its decision to sell its leasing subsidiary.