Kennards Hire Continues New Zealand Expansion with Acquisition of New Taupō, North Island Branch
Kennards Hire, a family-owned equipment hire (rental) company headquartered in Australia, continues its expansion in New Zealand with the acquisition of Taupō Hire, growing its national footprint to 29 stores.
It comes after a period of sustained growth for Kennards Hire and will enable the business to offer an even larger range of high-quality rental equipment and expert solutions for a range of industries and customers throughout the regional North Island.
The new Taupō branch will service the local tourism, forestry, renewable energy, and dairy industries and increase convenience for the company’s diverse range of customers including DIY enthusiasts and tradesmen.
Kennards Hire currently has a pop-up branch at the Tauhara Geothermal Power Plant Project, which will be consolidated into the new branch in December 2023.
“Having been in the Taupō area for the last two years via our pop-up, we are delighted to be setting up a permanent branch in the region,” said New Zealand general manager Tom Kimber. “The acquisition of Taupō Hire represents two family run businesses coming together to support the local community with our product offering and expert service.”
The acquisition will enable Kennards Hire to tap into the 30 years of experience and advice Taupō Hire has provided to people working and living in and around the area, with two existing staff members choosing to join the Kennards Hire family in its new chapter.
“After many years of being an integral part of the Taupō community, we take comfort in knowing that the transition to Kennards Hire will see the legacy Taupō Hire has built continue long into the future,” said Taupo Hire owner Dave Nicol.
Kennards Hire Taupō branch manager, Stuart Smithson added, “Our team in Taupō have years of equipment hire experience and local knowledge and are excited to provide our customers with specialist advice and product solutions for their projects – big or small.”
Selected pieces of Taupō Hire equipment and memorabilia will be sent to Sydney and housed in the Kennards Hire Museum.
Kennards Hire Taupō branch opened on Monday, 2 October. For more information, please visit kennardshire.co.nz.
Kennards Hire is headquartered in Seven Hills, New South Wales, Australia. Now in its 75th year of operation, Kennards has more than 190 total branches.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.