New Horizons with Event Hire Companies Merger

New Horizons with Event Hire Companies Merger

Continental Event Hire has been bought by Hirepool, and is to merge with Hirepool’s Events business, effective 1 August 2016.

Both Hirepool and Continental believe this to be an exciting and positive step towards creating the number one marquee and equipment hire business in New Zealand. 

The two merging businesses in the short term will operate under their existing brands and locations, however in the coming months the new entity’s name and branding will be revised with a view to ensuring a correct fit with the market.

Hirepool is a longtime stalwart of the hire industry in New Zealand, starting more than 60 years ago and having grown into a $150m business with all its sub-brands. It has 8 Events-specific branches complemented by 58 general hire branches nationwide.

Continental, with two key divisions of Event Hire and Event Catering, has been a robust South Island business success story of some 52 years and it is the largest privately owned Event Hire business in the South Island. The merger has no effect on the company’s Event Catering operation.

With the merger announcement to staff this week, the heads of both companies were able to reassure personnel that all jobs were secure.

The combined businesses will have a greater reach across the country, and an even wider range of up-to- date marquees and event equipment.

Hirepool’s national events manager Greg Cayford believes this will create a ‘super service team’ for customers, with unequaled industry knowledge and experience.

“While we have been operating our own specialist events division for some time, Continental Event Hire is the acknowledged marquee specialist for the South Island. Apart from their public events profile, Continental also has considerable market share in the specialised sectors of conferencing, corporate events and weddings.”

Continental managing director Greg Ward said he and his parents (who established Continental in the 1960s) were pleased the event hire side of the business could face additional growth now, with Hirepool bringing strategic distribution outlets and support throughout the country.

“We believe a combining of expertise and inventory can only mean good things for the customer.”

However, he emphasised that the sale did not involve the rest of the Continental business units.

“Continental Event Catering remains the same family-owned and operated business as before, continuing to work closely with the new Hires entity in the future, planning jobs and aiming for exceptional customer delivery.”

While the merging Hires businesses are already pooling resources, a desire to develop the name and branding of the new entity correctly for the market means these key components have not yet been finalised.

“We’re combining two companies that each have enormous brand equity,” said Greg Cayford. “We want to handle the merged identity with care to ensure it’s well received and easily understood in the marketplace. In the short term, therefore, the two companies will continue to trade as separate entities.”

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