LeasePlan Romania: One fifth of the 2011 contracts were on Sale&LeaseBack, Dacia, Nissan, Toyota - top brands in the fleet

Sale&LeaseBack attracted 18 percent of operational leasing and car fleet management provider LeasePlan's contracts during 2011, as it is a service that allows fast liquidities for clients, Bogdan Apahidean (in picture), general manager of LeasePlan Romania told Romania-Insider.com. However, compared to 2010, the value is smaller: 30 percent of the total fleet was on Sale&LeaseBack, because a part of those cars entered renewal contracts, respectively full operational leasing.

Most of the company's turnover comes from operational leasing – some 90 percent, and only 10 percent from fleet management only, he explains. LeasePlan ended 2011 with a turnover of EUR 30.9 million, 21 percent more than in 2010. The value of its portfolio was of EUR 57.7 million end-2011, 57 percent higher than the year before.

The first five car brands in Lease Plan’s portfolio are Dacia, with 2,000 cars, Nissan, with 900 cars, Toyota, with 800 cars, Ford, some 650 cars and Renault, with 550 cars. The bad weather in the first three months of 2012 forced many companies to choose cars that handle in bad weather, so the demand for SUV-s has increased. “For example, Dacia Duster has an important third place in our portfolio, with a 10 percent share. Nissan Navara, another SUV, is on the second place with a 15 percent share," said Apahidean.

LeasePlan wants to invest EUR 30 million in the acquisition of cars and light commercial vehicles, with a maximum capacity of 3.5 tonnes this year, when the company hopes to to increase the vehicle fleet by 20 percent. It hopes to reach a fleet of 7,400 cars this year.

The largest fleet managed by the company belongs to OMV Petrom and consists in 2,250 cars, said Apahidean. Its portfolio includes clients such as CEZ România, Ursus Breweries, Bancpost, Coca-Cola HBC România, METRO Cash & Carry România, Silcotub, IBM România.

LeasePlan is the second largest company on the operational leasing market, with a market share of 17 percent, according to its data. The largest company is ALD Automotive, with a 18 percent market share, according to the Association of Operational Leasing Companies.

LeasePlan is a Netherlands-based company founded in 1963 by a Dutch bank and a company specializing in services for drivers. In Romania, the company began work in 2007. Corina Saceanu, corina@romania-insider.com