Fleet group pumps 60% of £5m investment into local economy

STAFFORDSHIRE-based fleet solutions business Motiva Group has invested £5m in new vehicles – with £3m set to boost local economy.

The Stoke-on-Trent group has bought more than 150 cars, vans and trucks from North Staffordshire franchises over the last six months.

These have been added to the rental portfolio the business runs under the M-Way brand, bringing its daily rental and short-term lease fleet to more than 650 cars and commercial vehicles.

Newcastle-under-Lyme based Greenhous Fleet Shop has supplied Vauxhall cars and vans, while VW vans and DAF trucks have come from Imperial Commercials in Cobridge.

DAF and Iveco trucks have been supplied by Guest Truck and Van in Etruria and Cobridge dealership Mercedes-Benz of Stoke has delivered cars.

Peter Davenport, chief executive at Motiva Group, said: “It’s important for the whole of North Staffordshire that when firms get the opportunity to invest, they consider doing that in the local economy.

“A lot of the £5m we have spent will stay in North Staffordshire, filtering down into the manufacturing, service and retail sectors and helping to preserve jobs.

“The majority of us here are North Staffordshire born and bred and we want the area to prosper. We feel a responsibility to build relationships with local suppliers and go that extra mile with them so we can keep money here.”

Motiva Group, which has a turnover of more than £40m, is headquartered at the Minton Hollins building in Stoke and operates a second site in the city at Bucknall.

As well as M-Way rentals, it specialises in fleet management and contract hire through its Motiva Vehicle Contracts division, and vehicle tracking technology through the Motrak brand.

Mr Davenport led a management buyout in 2006 and the group now runs a contract hire fleet of more than 4,500 vehicles and it has access to more than 25,000 rental vehicles through partnership agreements across the country.

Sara Williams, chief executive of the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the Motiva investment.

She said: “Motiva are providing a great spur to the local economy through their investment, growth and local employment.

“They are one of a growing number of local, successful companies determined to make North Staffordshire a thriving economy.”

Simon Jackson, sales manager at Imperial Commercials, backed Motiva’s approach to local spending.

He said: “Since we opened the VW sales and service centre about a year ago, our strategy has always been to grow by building relationships with local businesses.

“Being local means you can form strong relationships and demonstrate value rather than just sell on price.

“A lot of the Staffordshire companies we deal with feel the same about keeping wealth in the local economy, and it’s an attitude we are completely behind.”