The world’s largest car rental and mobility company, Enterprise, opened its first business in Norway at Gardermoen in October 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic put the brakes on things. On September 1 this year, the company opened branches in Bergen and Stavanger, but now, according to Ole Grønvold at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Norway and Sweden, they will be expanding with branches across the country.

– The company has long considered the Norwegian and Scandinavian markets of interest. “With Sulland Holding and their Autoplan, we have found a strategic partner and a national network that will allow us to quickly offer car rentals across Norway,” he said.

National

During the fall, offices will open at airports in Trondheim, Bod, Harstad and Troms. In addition, stations will be set up at Sulland car dealerships in the same area, as well as in Gjøvik, Hamar, Kongsvinger, Lillehammer and Otta.

The family-owned Sulland Holding is one of Norway’s largest car groups, and sells about 20,000 cars each year. The company’s turnover in 2021 is NOK 7.3 billion with an annual profit of NOK 213 million. In addition to 38 car dealerships representing 12 different car brands, the company also operates professional car rentals through Autoplan, as well as property and car imports.

Bad returns

According to CEO Arvid Sulland, the company has operated car rentals for more than 20 years, but the returns have never been good. Sulland believes that will change with the collaboration with Enterprise.

– We believe that the collaboration with Enterprise will provide us with a sound system and new opportunities, such as increased car sales, better utilization of the company’s workshops, and the opportunity to secure the right used cars for our own dealer network, said Arvid Sulland.

Enterprise is the world’s largest car rental and mobility company with operations in more than 100 countries, with more than 9,500 rental locations. These include the Alamo, Enterprise and National brands. It is the Danish auto giant Semler Gruppen that owns the franchise rights to Enterprise in Scandinavia through its Shared Mobility company.