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- Company Overview
- Company History
- Industry Overview
- Downloadable Policies
- Business Structure
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- Heroes of Hire
- Awards
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- Customer Service
Company Profile
Welcome to HSS Hire.
You can find information about us below or alternatively you can watch our corporate video by clicking here.
HSS has provided complete tool and equipment hire for its customers for over 50 years. Today, our 250-strong network of massive Supercentres, branches and agencies ensures easy access to our extensive range.
Committed to keeping businesses working, and with real knowledge of our customers’ challenges, HSS continually invests in our range of specialist kit and the people who provide the specialist knowledge which supports it.
HSS is transforming from a high street player to a logistical and technical partner to businesses of all sizes – as well as continuing to serve our household and “grand designer” customers with ever better service levels. Dominant in the “maintain and operate” sectors, HSS enjoys fully outsourced managed services and traditional hire contracts with major players in infrastructure, utilities, FM and corporations as well as with tradepeople and consumers.
Our network of Supercentres increasingly provides a spine of logistical capability throughout the UK. HSS continues to invest in opening Supercentres of more than 30,000 sq. ft. in major conurbations and for logistical efficiency.
Our extensive range of products for hire is delivered via a 2,300-strong workforce and with a fleet of over 800 vehicles. HSS will never hire tools or equipment that are not thoroughly tested. We deal with you in the way you choose – by phone, text, online, through a dedicated account manager and through the branch and supercentre network.
Priding ourselves on being easy to transact with, HSS customers receive just one invoice and one contract. HSS deliver and collect 70% of tools and equipment on hire, but if a customer wants to pick up equipment from one of our centres and drop it off at another they can do. Through our OneCall service, HSS Hire also offers to source anything that is not part of the standard range. It’s all about keeping businesses working.
Most importantly, safety is enshrined in everything we do. The company holds a 4* British Safety Award and are the only tool and hire company to do so. We also operate a leading training company to ensure your workforce is always fully compliant and always safe.
Our emphasis is clearly on service excellence – more than 90% customers in our recent survey said we were good or very good, but we’re going to keep on going until we make that 100%. We look forward to serving you.
Thank you for visiting hss.com
Chris Davies
Chief Executive
Email: chris.davies@hss.com
Company Overview
Profile
HSS is a market leading supplier of tool and equipment hire in the UK. Operating under the banner of HSS Hire, the group has an established network of over 250 outlets. Its 2,000 strong workforce and fleet of over 600 liveried vehicles reflect the Group's leading position in the market.
Turnover and Growth - From Market Stall to Market Leader
HSS Hire originated in Kensington, West London in 1957. Since then it has remained at the forefront of the tool hire industry, a clear leader in terms of market share, network size, product range and service quality.
Throughout its history, the group has maintained a policy of strong organic growth. The Group's founder, an entrepreneurial stallholder called Bert Taylor, never dreamt that his brainchild would grow into the country's most extensive network of hire shops servicing big business, trade, industrial and home-owner customers. It all started when Taylor was pestered by his sister who wanted to borrow a stepladder. He realised that there was potentially a larger group of customers who needed equipment for special tasks but who actually did not want to buy products, which they may use only rarely.
Now with over 250 outlets in the UK and Ireland including many massive Supercentres with extended hours, HSS continues to expand the network.
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Company History
In 1957, Bert Taylor opened Britain’s first dedicated tool and equipment hire shop, in response to his sister’s need to borrow a ladder. The location was Baron’s Court Road, Kensington.
Throughout the 1960’s, growth continued with an additional 5 shops opening in the West Central London area. Although aimed almost entirely at DIY customers, The Hire Service Company was already beginning to attract trade sales with builders, plumbers, decorators and other professionals.
Also during this time, the scaffolding conglomerate, SGB, recognised the growth potential for rental centres in the UK and opened 4 outlets trading as Hire Shops Ltd.
By the end of the 1960’s SGB had 8 shops and bought out The Hire Service Company, merging the two and changing the name to Hire Service Shops Limited – from which the initials HSS originate. There were 28 branches in London and the Home Counties.
The 1970’s saw the first branch outside London, in Birmingham, followed by branches in Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester. The group actively pursued trade customers and a policy of acquisition was embarked upon.
Throughout the 1980’s specialist divisions were introduced with the launch of HSS Event Hire and HSS Lift & Shift as separate business units.
In 1991, the first Irish branch was opened in Albertbridge Road, Belfast. Shortly after, HSS were acquired by The Davis Service Group Plc. The rest of the 1990’s was dedicated to international expansion with franchise agreements in Greece, Spain, Holland, Norway, Italy and Middle East. HSS Rental Stores was opened in the USA in 1996.
Having celebrated its 40th year in 1997, HSS went on to open a further 25 HSS Hire Shops and 11 Lift & Shift depots in the UK.
The new millennium saw the launch of more specialist divisions when HSS Safe & Sure and HSS Hire Weld were established. Service offerings were also introduced with Training, OneCall and Workshops completing the range.
In 2003, the Davis Service Group, owners of HSS Hire, announced they had agreed to sell the company by means of a management buy-in backed by 3i venture capital. The sale was completed in early 2004 and HSS Hire Group became an independent organisation again for the first time in almost 50 years.
Throughout 2004, to enable the company to concentrate on its core business strength of tool and equipment hire in the UK, the Event Hire division was sold to Johnson’s Hospitality Services and the German operation to Dutch company Pierre Boels. HSS Hire then created a network of regional Premier Centres, incorporating the specialist divisions within these one-stop shop Hire Shops. A new retail partnership was signed with Dulux Decorator Cetnres and the first major acquisition since the change of ownership took place with the purchase of A1 Hire and Sales in Bournemouth.
In 2005, HSS won their largest ever contract, securing a multi-million pound deal with Network Rail to supply non-rail specific plant to all Network Rail regions – the first time one contract had been awarded to cover all 18 regions.
HSS were awarded the prestigious Safe-HIRE quality mark by the Hire Association Europe (HAE). The hire catalogue was given a new look and a new training catalogue was launched covering the most comprehensive range of industry recognised technical and safety courses ever offered by the company. The training solutions division secured accreditation for one of its courses from City and Guilds.
A brand new website marked the start of 2006, enabling customers to hire any item from the entire catalogue range online and the year was celebrated as HSS won the HAE’s ‘Hire Company of the Year’ award.
In 2007, after 3 years of successful investment, 3i sold HSS Hire to Och-Ziff Capital Management Group and Aurigo, the investment vehicle headed by ex-ASDA CEO Archie Norman. The sale provided the company a firm foundation for ambitious growth plans as they moved towards becoming a customer service business, focused on ‘keeping businesses working’.
Since then, HSS has been working hard to consolidate this progress; to confirm their position as a real technical and logistical partner for businesses of all sizes, all around the country. Having pioneered the ‘one-stop-shop’ approach to hire, HSS continued to make hire easy for customers – ensuring easy access by opening more than 12 massive supercentres in as many months and ensuring best availability by investing in an equipment fleet that is now 25% bigger than it was 3 years ago.
Despite challenging market conditions, 2009 was a pivotal year for HSS Hire. The launch of a revolutionary online management system, HSS LiveHire, positioned them as industry pioneers, championing transparency, integrity and ‘the true cost of hire’. Some sensible efficiencies and a dedicated customer focus saw them deliver strong trading results and a convincing business performance twice as good as the industry average. Chosen as both the HAE’s Hire Company of the Year and Contract Journal’s Plant Hire Company of the Year, they were also Highly Commended for Innovation by Network Rail.
In 2010, HSS Hire continues to go from strength to strength, demonstrated with a very positive first quarter trading. More and more customers sign up to LiveHire and the business continues to open new locations to meet demand and ensure a best-in-class hire offer. HSS has recently announced the acquisition of Hydrex Training, a health and safety training business with particular capabilities in the rail and plant sectors which will enable HSS Training to continue to grow and expand its existing training offering into these more specialist markets.
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Industry Overview
UK Tool Hire Market
The tool hire market comprises customer sectors ranging from the occasional DIY user to the largest national construction companies. In between falls just about every other industrial group, public sector organisation and specialist trade contractor.
In the UK the tool hire market is estimated to be worth over £700million. Estimates of total worth vary due to the "grey area" between Plant and Tool rental.
The industry is represented by The Hire Association Europe, which has approximately 940 members.
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Downloadable Policies
Click on the report headings to download our company policies including CSR and Health & Safety:
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Business Structure
UK divisions of HSS Hire Service Group:
HSS Hire is one of the undoubted leaders in the tool hire industry with an extensive nationwide network and the highest standards of customer service.
HSS Hire offers the widest range of products in the hire industry, supported by in-depth expertise. Our specialist capabilities extend to lift and shift; welding equipment, safety and survey and a large and growing fleet of Powered Access.
HSS Training is our specialist training division, providing a huge range of safety-related courses to customers across the UK. Please click here to visit the website www.hss.com/training. HSS Training now has a portfolio of over 100 courses available - ranging from Lift Truck Operator to First Aid. Courses are overseen by highly experienced trainers to ensure that attendees surpass the relevant industry standards.
HSS OneCall has forged links with some of the leading names in specialist plant and equipment hire to enable customers to access more items quickly and simply, through one HSS account. The most frequently hired items from HSS OneCall are: site accommodation, excavators and skidsteer loaders but the division aims to source almost anything.
The OneCall service now extends to the sourcing of hire equipment internationally.
HSS Sales can quote for and supply brand new tools and equipment as carried in the HSS Hire fleet. Enquiries can be made through any branch or the central sales office.
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Network
Today, HSS is a logistical and technical partner to businesses of all sizes. Dominant in the “maintain and operate” sectors, HSS enjoys fully outsourced managed services and traditional hire contracts with major players in infrastructure, utilities, FM and corporations as well as with trades people and DIY customers.
A 250-strong network of Supercentres, hire centres and agencies ensures easy access to its extensive range of tools and equipment and provides a spine of logistical capability throughout the UK. HSS continues to invest in opening Supercentres of more than 30,000 sq. ft. in major conurbations and for logistical efficiency.
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Innovation
In 2009 HSS introduced a number of new propositions including:
HSS Pit Stop - enables fleets of engineers to call into an HSS branch and literally swap their ‘back of the van’ tooling and consumables for new ones, fully tested, serviced and fit for purpose, ensuring continuous compliance and without incurring delay. www.hss.com/pitstop
HSS Assured - a fully managed equipment plan that offers all the benefits of ownership without any of the hassles – the customer keeps the kit on site permanently while HSS monitor and manage the service requirements, minimising downtime through equipment exchange. www.hss.com/assured
HSS Resource – offering the option to hire extra human resources in addition to tools and equipment. www.hss.com/resource
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Safety
The company holds a 4* British Safety Award and are currently the only tool and hire company to do so. In addition, HSS are ISO9000:20, ISO 14001, Safe-Hire accredited and holders of Investors in People status. HSS also operate a training company. HSS works closely with both the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) and the government's Health & Safety Executive to promote safety in the hire industry.
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Corporate Social Responsibility
As a large and growing nationwide business, we are very aware that we play a significant role in the well being of the people that work with us, the environment and the local communities. We make every effort to ensure only a positive contribution in these areas and will continue to invest in our corporate and social responsibilities. You'll find full details of our CSR approach on our dedicated site: www.hss.com/csr.
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Heroes of Hire
HSS Hire are also the pioneers of 'Heroes of Hire' – a reward and recognition scheme that celebrates and champions 'HSS Heroes' for their exceptional efforts in offering high levels of customer service, for supporting community projects or for driving the business forward. More details can be found at www.hss.com/heroes.
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Awards
2005 - Safe-HIRE quality mark by the Hire Association Europe (HAE)
2006 - HAE's 'Hire Company of the Year' Award
2007 - Hitwise Top 10 website (Oct - Dec)
2008 - HAE's 'Hire Industry Website of the Year' and ‘Hire Industry Catalogue of the Year’ Awards
2009 - HAE's 'Tool, Equipment and Plant Hire Company of the Year', 'Hire Industry Website of the Year' and 'Best Contribution to Environmental Issues'
2009 - Contract Journal's ' Plant Hire Company of the Year' Award
2009 - Network Rail Partnership Award - Highly Commended in 'Innovation'
2010 - HAE's 'Excellence in Customer Care' and 'Hire Industry Website of the Year' Award
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Sponsorship
HSS Hire are sponsors of Cardiff Blues
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Quality Customer Service - Guaranteed
Another feature that sets HSS Hire apart from the competition is its outstanding level of customer service. HSS is accredited with the Investors in People Award. But what is of more immediate value to HSS' customers is the friendly and professional approach taken with each customer enquiry.
Operating and safety guides are attached to all products and every piece of equipment is tested prior to being hired and checked for safety and performance when it is returned.
The group's considerable investment in computer technology has enabled each branch to link into a national network so that equipment can be quickly located and supplied to customers wherever based. Hire stock can be effectively maintained and distributed.
The "one-way" hire service provides the facility for equipment to be returned to any one of the nationwide branches convenient to the customer regardless of location of original hire. Consumable products for use with the hired equipment are supplied on a sale or return basis.
HSS Hire is committed to staff training. All branch staff have high levels of product knowledge and are taught how to match customer needs with the specific products for the job. In addition to this, the HSS Customer Service Guarantee states that no charge will be made if expectations are not met. HSS Hire's dominant position in the tool hire industry would not be possible without the enthusiasm and dedication of its staff.
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