A NORTHWICH car rental company is set to expand its fleet by 25 per cent over the next 12 months, through £1.2 million in financing from Santander Business Banking.

Auto Leasing UK, trading as Priory Rentals, operates from Manchester Road and another site in Lancashire.

The new funding from Santander will be used to help the firm better manage seasonality in demand and the need for additional stock at certain times.

Priory Rentals employs 14 numbers of staff, and forecasts this could grow to 20 over the next year.

The company has benefitted from strong demand from customers travelling to festivals like Glastonbury, V Festival, Goodwood and Kendal Calling.

Emma Carter, owner of Priory Rentals, said: “The funding from Santander will be key to us taking the business to the next level.

"We have developed real momentum in the market, with significant numbers of repeat customers and fantastic customer feedback, and in order to meet the increased demand we need to expand our fleet, particularly our range of motorhomes. We are also hoping to build a greater market share across the north west of England.”

Kelly Catterall, business relationship director at Santander Business Banking, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Emma and her team as they look to capitalise on strong demand and invest for future growth.

"Priory Rentals has managed to differentiate its business proposition in a competitive market, thanks to the size of its fleet and the focus on customer service, and we are confident that the business will continue to flourish.”