Rental firm McNicoll Vehicle Hire is targeting significant growth in its commercial vehicle fleet after signing a funding and fleet management contract with ARI Fleet.

The Livingston-based firm will use ARI’s Conditional Sale finance product, while the company also has been contracted for all maintenance, fleet and accident management on more than 1,200 vehicles.

This will allow McNicoll to offer rental on a nationwide basis.

David Stewart, managing director at McNicoll Vehicle Hire, said: “Working alongside ARI opens the door for us not just to be the top rental company in Scotland, but in the UK, with their financial backing and national network.”

ARI’s customer service team will provide round-the-clock support, including for incident management and roadside assistance.

David Love, commercial director at McNicoll Vehicle Hire, added: “This is an exciting new chapter within McNicoll Vehicle Hire’s strategic plan and a partnership that will help us achieve and exceed our targets.

“We believe this partnership with ARI will further strengthen our position as the number one company for vehicle hire and help is improve our structure and grow in line with our expectations.”