Rental market plays additional strengths

In uncertain times, investing firmly in equipment purchases is far from a given. Not for established names, and certainly not for young starters. That is what the rental market is experiencing and responding to. Take Huurland, which prides itself on the immediate availability of all its machines and has considerably expanded its offer and presence. 

All machines are immediately available in the branches in Aalst, Bruges, Dendermonde, Eke, Ghent, Kortrijk, Maldegem, Ostend, Roeselare and Zellik. In De Prijkels, Nazareth you can find Huurland XL, the specialty branch for large equipment. In 2021, Huurland took over the rental company Global Rent in Boortmeerbeek. In this way, customers on the Brussels-Leuven-Mechelen axis can be served even better.

Also, 'established' values

Sofie Ameloot, as well as sister Isabelle and brother Pascal company manager: "We have always worked very hard, among some other sectors, to expand a modern fleet for the garden contractor. Think of aerial work platforms, tree pruners and just about everything related. And that ensures that, especially in recent years, we have seen a hefty influx from the green sector. We notice that the "established" garden contractor, who usually likes to purchase small and large equipment himself, is increasingly finding his way to the equipment rental market. And also those who are just popping in and first want to find out whether this sector is for them, and whether it will bring in enough bucks, are smoothly finding their way to one of our retail outlets."

Never far away

"We shouldn't hide it either," continues Sofie Ameloot. "We have been living in strange times for a few years now. And certainly in the last few months a war at our back door has been added to that. Consequently - due to increasing uncertainty - investments are increasingly being put on hold. As a result, young entrepreneurs like to play it safe and resolutely choose to rent
of material." 

"That, of course, comes with some obvious advantages. We are, especially in East and West Flanders, never far away. There are more than enough places where you can come and pick up your material. Or we bring it to your workshop, if you wish. Within 24 hours! But we are also increasingly present around Brussels and the surrounding area, through our branches in Zellik and newcomer Boortmeerbeek."

"Moreover, when you rent tools instead of buying them, you are always sure to have the right equipment at the right time. That way, as a garden contractor, you can actually start all projects without having to buy custom supplies/equipment each time. Because sometimes you are working on a huge golf course, so to speak, but other times you have to cram all your equipment through a tiny garden gate. And of course, maintenance and any repairs are also our responsibility. All we expect from our customers is that they come and deliver the rented equipment neatly. That's not too bad, is it?"

Training and instruction

Sofie Ameloot: "Young starters often still need a lot of advice. And we like to meet this need. You cannot expect, when you are fresh out of school, to immediately know everything that a seasoned professional has gained years of experience. That is why we put a lot of effort into our instruction videos, which you can find on our website and on the Huurland channel on YouTube. We notice that these videos are viewed quite a lot, even by the more experienced professionals. So there is demand. We also provide regular training courses. These can be taken internally at our company as well as through training centers such as Syntra."