HUNTINGDON-based contract hire and fleet management company Powermarque has launched a car and van rental franchising operation tailored to local businesses. The company says it has identified a gap in the short-term rental market between the major companies offering a uniform package and the diverse needs of smaller local businesses.

Over the past three months Powermarque Car and Van Rental has signed up partners in Huntingdon, Northampton, Coventry, Halifax, Lincoln, Peterborough, Norwich and Milton Keynes and by the end of the year the company expects to have more than 40 partners signed up to the operation. These will operate through a central reservation office with access to more than 4,000 vehicles.

James Daly, managing director of Powermarque, said: 'While the major companies provide an excellent service to the corporate market the local businesses have been under-served. We feel there is a significant gap which Powermarque Car and Van Rental intends to fill.'