Carrentals.co.uk Owners Re-Brand for Growth

12 November 2007 – The owners of car hire price comparison website Carrentals.co.uk are re-branding as ASAP Ventures in a move that highlights their growing breadth of services.

Previously covered by the Carrentals brand, the new ASAP Ventures group will continue to own and grow Carrentals.co.uk, together with new travel comparison site asap.co.uk, and accommodation listings directory Self-Catering-Breaks.com, while moving into additional non-travel markets.

In the last financial year the Group reported sales revenue of over £8m, with the focus now on expanding its portfolio and growing its range of business operations in both travel and other consumer markets.

Part of its travel growth will come from the global expansion of the Carrentals.co.uk price comparison brand, which launched in Germany in October 2007, and is scheduled to launch elsewhere in Europe and Australia over the next six months. The launch of asap.co.uk, which compares prices from airlines, tour operators, hotels and car hire companies ranging from Thomson to Virgin, will also establish the Group as a major force in the online travel market.

Strengthening the Group’s travel management team are two new appointments – Claire Hayes joins from Opodo, where she was Head of Travel Products for two years, while Debbie Sowden joins from Holiday Autos where she was Acting Commercial Director.

Expansion into non-travel services has already begun with the purchase of Promos.co.uk, while additional brands are set to launch over the coming 12 months as the Group continues a programme of development and acquisition.

Gareth Robinson, marketing director of ASAP Ventures, commented: “Carrentals.co.uk has been incredibly successful for us, and we now want to mirror that success in other areas. To achieve this we needed to re-brand to support our increased scope across a range of travel services, ranging from car hire and flights to accommodation and package holidays.

“The new name supports our growth in the travel market, but will also help us develop additional online services in other consumer markets. This is the start of a very exciting phase of expansion for us, with new investments and services planned to increase our sales revenue to £20m next year, a target we are already on track to achieve.”

/ends.

Editor’s Notes:
About Carrentals.co.uk
Carrentals.co.uk was launched in February 2003 and grew to become one of the UK’s leading online car hire companies by 2006.

In 2007 the company re-launched its site to create the first major online price comparator in the travel industry. Using the latest technology the new Carrentals.co.uk site now searches over 40 different car hire websites, providing an impartial comparison of the best prices available.

Websites searched include Alamo, Thrifty, Budget, Expedia, Car del Mar, Sixt, Holiday Autos, Opodo, EBookers, Carrentals.co.uk and EasyCar, with the Carrentals.co.uk site quickly comparing prices and allowing customers to refine their search by car type or provider.

For further information visit www.carrentals.co.uk


About asap.co.uk
Launched in 2007 asap.co.uk is a new travel price comparator, providing easy comparison of the best prices for flights, holidays, hotels and car hire around the world. It compares deals from thousands of hotels, holiday packages from the UK’s major tour operators, car hire from over 40 companies, plus flights from hundreds of scheduled, charter and low cost airlines.

Companies compared include Opodo, British Airways, Virgin Holidays, LateRooms.com, Cosmos, Airtours, Airline Network, Carrentals.co.uk, Holiday Autos, and more, with the technology providing a fair comparison of hundreds of different travel options.

The site also features a wealth of information on destinations around the World, providing travellers with access to tips and advice on everywhere from Toronto to Thailand. There is also a Great Sites search facility, featuring thousands of travel sites for visitors to find everything from recommended restaurants to sightseeing.

For further information visit www.asap.co.uk


About Self-Catering-Breaks.com
Self-Catering-Breaks.com is one of the leading free listings websites for property owners, featuring over 35,000 properties around the World. Owners can choose to add as many properties as they want, with full information and unlimited photographs of the property and all details easy to update through the owners online management system. Properties listed range from five-star hotels to guesthouses, canal boats, castles, caravans, cottages, villas and apartments.
For more information visit www.self-catering-breaks.com


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