Europcar to review 10m Euro account

Europcar is reviewing its 10m pan-European advertising account. The company is thought to have shortlisted a number of network agencies to pitch for the business.

EuropcarEuropcar is reviewing its £10m pan-European advertising account. The company is thought to have shortlisted a number of network agencies to pitch for the business.

It is not known whether Europcar, which is Europe’s largest car rental company, has a retained agency across Europe. It appointed Shaken Not Stirred as its lead global agency in 2002, following a pitch against Amsterdam-based Strawberry Frog, and is also understood to work with local agencies in individual countries.

The pitch is being run from France, but it is thought that executives from local markets – such as UK marketing director Mark Brooker – have been involved in the process. Brooker did not return calls as Marketing Week went to press.

Europcar seized more than a quarter of the British car rental market at the end of last year when it bought rival Vanguard Car Rental for £450m. Vanguard was Britain’s largest car rental company, operating under the National Car Rental and Alamo brands.

Europcar, which has a fleet of more than 200,000 vehicles and close to 7 million rental contracts, also signed a ten-year partnership as part of the deal that will give its clients access to Vanguard’s network in North America.

Europcar was already the market leader across Europe, but was in fifth place in the UK before last year’s deal. The acquisition gave Europcar a 26% market share in Britain, putting it ahead of competitors Enterprise, Avis, Hertz and Sixt.