UK Platforms is being sold by HSS Hire as part of a debt reduction strategy. HSS agreed a deal with market leader Nationwide Platforms for £60.5m in July.
Nationwide Platforms is the UK’s largest mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) hire company with more than 12,000 machines in its fleet. Its parent company Lavendon was taken over by French rental group Loxam in 2017.
UK Platforms was purchased by HSS in 2013. It was previously the UK hire business of French manufacturer Haulotte. It operates a fleet of 3,000 lifts from 12 branches.
Apart from Nationwide, only AFI-Uplift, Speedy, A-Plant have more boom lifts and scissor lifts than UK Platforms.
The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) is now investigating whether Nationwide’s purchase of UK Platforms will damage market competition. Comments are invited by 21st November 2018 and should be submitted to case officer Rafia Saif, rafia.saif@cma.gov.uk
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