Northgate sees British business growth

Van rental firm Northgate expects its core business in Britain to stabilise over the next year, growing for the first time in eight years, propped up by the opening of new hiring locations.

The company, which rents vans to engineering, distribution, and retail firms in Ireland, Britain, and Spain, reported a fall in full-year profit yesterday as lacklustre consumer spending in Britain and economic turmoil in Spain took a toll on demand.

“[The UK business] will see stabilisation in the first half and we’ll look to increase growth through the second half as the benefit of new sites comes through,” said CEO Bob Contreras.