Europcar UK is to supply more than 40 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans to Fruidel on a long-term rental basis.

Founded in 2016, Fruidel supplies fruit baskets to more than 3,000 offices across the UK.

The vehicles, delivered under Europcar’s long-term van rental proposition Advantage for Vans, are liveried with the Fruidel brand.

Stephen Bohen, founder & CEO of Fruidel, said: “As a growing business, long-term rental was the perfect transport solution for us.

“We needed a flexible option that didn’t involve tying up capital on outright vehicle acquisition.

“As our business expands so do our transport needs. We’ve grown at an unprecedented rate and the flexibility of Europcar’s long-term rental service has enabled us to double the size of our fleet in line with this demand.

“We’re due to take on 20 more vans in 2019 without the significant outlay that would’ve come with acquisition.

“Leasing was more flexible than acquisition but it didn’t give us any of the maintenance benefits that we get from Europcar.

“Long-term rental provides Fruidel with all of the advantages of an ‘owned’ fleet but with these additional benefits bundled into one price.

“The clarity that this gives us means that we’re in a great position to make informed financial decisions to plan for the future growth of the business.”