Online price comparison specialist announces growth which is 50% ahead of projected targets, even in credit crunch
21 May 2009 – Carrentals.co.uk, the leading car hire price comparison service, is reporting record revenue growth which is 50% above its own estimates for the first quarter of 2009. The comparator is also reporting ongoing year-by-year growth of 30%.
Further to this record revenue announcement, the car hire company is announcing sales of £16m in the year before January 2009, in the face of the continuing financial crash.
Ever since launching in 2003 as a car hire provider, the company has grown and grown. Carrentals.co.uk altered its approach in 2007 to be a price comparator in the car hire space and has since then won Best Car Hire Website at the 2008 Travolution Awards and Best Ski Car Rental in the 2008/09 Good Ski Guide Oscars.
Gareth Robinson, the managing director at Carrentals.co.uk, said, “It’s a pleasure to publish these results and we’re delighted that we’ve exceeded our estimated predictions by so much. It’s a real testament to the way we work.”
Carrentals.co.uk offers site visitors huge numbers of car hire deals from up to 35 suppliers in more than 9,000 locations. The company is able to offer these many deals thanks to it using a different approach to its rivals, cost per acquisition or CPA. Unlike traditional pay-per-click models, suppliers of car hire don’t have to pay a fee to feature on the Carrentals.co.uk.
Hitwise is an agency which reports on the most visited Internet sites and frequently lists Carrentals.co.uk in its rankings of top UK car hire websites. Carrentals.co.uk rated fifth in the latest ranking with roughly 5% of UK traffic*. The comparator is also enjoying consistent levels of repeat reservations of around 15%.
Gareth Robinson continued: “Through using CPA, we are able to give customers the very best range of great value car hire deals. As some of our peers in the travel space are suffering, we’re able to report record revenues; it’s a great time.”
Carrentals.co.uk compares prices from companies including Alamo, Budget, EasyCar, Ebookers, Hertz, Holiday Autos, Opodo, Sixt, Thrifty and their own Carrentals.co.uk prices. Visitors to the site can search and compare the best deals on car hire, before transferring to the supplier’s site to make their booking.
For more information, visit www.carrentals.co.uk
*Based on the Hitwise reports for week ending 9th May 2009.
About Carrentals.co.uk
Carrentals.co.uk was launched in February 2003 and grew to become one of the UK’s leading online car hire companies by 2006.
In 2007, the company re-launched its site to create the first major online price comparator in the travel industry. Using the latest technology the Carrentals.co.uk site now searches up to 35 different car hire websites, providing an impartial comparison of the best prices available in over 9,000 locations.
Websites searched include Alamo, Budget, EasyCar, Ebookers, Hertz, Holiday Autos, Opodo, Sixt and Thrifty, with the Carrentals.co.uk site quickly comparing prices and allowing customers to refine their search by car type.
The Carrentals.co.uk site also features over 6,000 links to useful tourist information sites, plus over 2,700 pages of travel information in a mini-guide format.
In 2008, Carrentals.co.uk was voted Best Car Hire Website in the Travolution Awards. To book or for further information visit www.carrentals.co.uk
Media Contact
Rachel Builder & Debbie Williams
Context
T: 01625 511966
F: 01625 511967
[email protected]
www.contextpr.co.uk
