The year 2002 has come to an end and Europcar UK Ltd is able to look back at what has been a challenging time for the car rental industry and assess the extent of their success.

Despite the slowing economy, Europcar UK is clearly winning market share with a 6% improvement in revenue and a stunning £4million increase in profit.

Such an achievement does not come without clear strategy and firm actions. Car rental customers are changing and Europcar is changing too.

The company opened a new dedicated Sales and Reservation Centre in January 2002, achieving an outstanding 40% call conversion rate. This committed service runs alongside Europcars bespoke internet site which returned a terrific 74% increase in revenue from 2001 to 2002. The company has also refocused its effort on delivering extraordinary customer service. Amongst various initiatives, Europcars customer service department has been reorganised and specified demanding targets. This departments activity is monitored daily and provides feedback to Operations on improvement initiatives which derive from customer queries and surveys. Such initiative is ground breaking in an industry where post-sales service is often lacking.

In addition to providing customers with a hassle-free tailored service, Europcar has re-evaluated the efficiency of their operations. Significant cost savings were achieved through reduced holding costs and increased fleet utilisation by 3.5 percentage points from 2001.

Europcar’s success and attention to customer service has been demonstrated by its ability to secure the largest world-wide rental contract with the TUI group, announced last year.

Marie Barry, Europcar UK Managing Director, says "We have invested massively in our people. Extensive training has been delivered throughout the network to provide a seamless and focused service. The results we are delivering today testify to our success."

Talking about 2003 she explains, "This year we will achieve another £3million improvement in profit. This will be delivered by building on what we do best; managing fleet and offering a quality customer service that is second to none." She adds, "In the past, Europcar has been referred to as "a sleeping giant"… Beware, the giant is now waking!"

Europcar, the car rental company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen A.G., the largest car manufacturer in Europe and number three worldwide with its VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda brands.

With 2685 world-wide locations in 123 countries and a fleet of more than 120,000 vehicles, Europcar is one of the world’s leading car rental companies. Founded in Paris in 1949, Europcar boasts greater airport coverage in Europe than any other car rental company and is the world’s largest car rental company of European origin.

Europcar is one of the UK’s leading car rental companies, with a fleet of around 15,000 vehicles and a network of 125 stations.

Europcar UK provides rental choice from 1 hour to 1 year, with or without a driver, for work or play. We provide a large selection of vehicle makes and models from small economy models and sporty convertibles to large family cars, minibuses and luxurious sedans, as well as vans.

Europcar, you rent a lot more than a car.

Sophie Ammann, Public Relations

Tel : 07771972803 / 01923811298

E-mail : ammanns@mail.europcar.com