KWIK-FIT Fleet has opened its first centres in Poland as the company continues its drive into Europe.

The company has opened eight centres in Poland on the strength of west European and American companies moving into the country and already being aware of the Kwik-Fit brand.

Group managing director Ron Bambra said: 'Our first eight centres are in the Warsaw area and we plan to have a further 10 outlets by the end of the year and a network of 50 in the major towns and cities by 2005. With the influx of new companies to Poland the country's fleet market has taken off.'

Such expansion now means that Kwik-Fit Group has almost 2,536 service points serving fleets in eight European countries, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Poland, Spain and the UK, operating as Kwik-Fit Fleet, Speedy Fleet or Pit-Stop Fleet.

The company says its year-on-year sales have increased by more than 200% in Germany and Belgium, have almost doubled in France, are up 55% in Holland and have increased by more than a quarter in Ireland.

Bambra added: 'Our growth is coming from leveraging major UK accounts with contract hire and leasing companies and end-user fleets which have a pan-European bias.

'In addition we are beginning to win significant business at a local level from fleets opting to use our outlets because of the quality of service and products we provide as opposed to some dealers.'