David Brennan, CEO of Nexus Vehicle Rental, discusses the need for flexible vehicle rental options to support the retail and logistics industries, as well as key workers, throughout this period of unprecedented demand and uncertainty.

26 March 2020

Many UK businesses are facing continued economic uncertainty and the spread of COVID-19 is presenting unique challenges for communities up and down the country. Retailers – particularly supermarkets – are experiencing unprecedented demand for home deliveries and require room to flex their fleets to ensure the mobility of their supply chains throughout this rapidly evolving situation.

Key workers across a myriad of industries, including retail and logistics, now urgently require access to flexible mobility supply networks to serve distributed communities across the country. The UK’s vehicle hire industry is already a vital part of the supply chain for these businesses and an ideal solution for those that need to rapidly scale-up their fleets whilst mitigating costs.

The Government and the British Retail Consortium continue to communicate that the UK does not have a shortage of essentials like food, toiletries and medicines, but the challenge is actually sourcing the ‘people and lorries’ to get these items on supermarket or pharmacy shelves, as well as delivered to consumers’ homes. In these difficult and demanding times, vehicle rental companies can help retailers and those in the logistics industry find the right solution for their mobility needs.

Flexible, on-demand support

Nexus has built up the UK’s largest supply chain and its pioneering technology, IRIS, connects businesses to more than 550,000 vehicles across 2,000 locations, including EVs, specialist and commercial vehicles and HGVs.

As additional safeguarding measures and restrictions are put in place across the UK, Nexus can continue to provide cars, vans, trucks and HGVs to ensure the UK’s key workers are mobile and essential services such as food deliveries are able to continue.

Flexible rental gives businesses the freedom to adapt their fleet size depending on demand and other requirements. Nexus customers can benefit from not being tied into long-term contracts and, thanks to fixed rates, customers will never pay more than they are originally quoted, even if supplier costs fluctuate substantially. Put simply, Nexus mitigates any uncertainties in the market when there is increased demand, and ultimately provides businesses with the reassurance that rental is a continuously financially viable option to keep operations moving.

Since launching 20 years ago, Nexus’s proposition enables it to meet ever-changing industry trends and customer demands; and this remains true for supporting its customers through the COVID-19 pandemic. As supply chains change daily, Nexus continues to have great visibility of the availability of vehicles nationally, so can identify most viable options for its customers at any given time.

In these challenging times Nexus, like all businesses, has the wellbeing of its workforce, customers and suppliers at the centre of its operations and is prioritising delivering excellent service and keeping people and essential goods mobile, wherever and whenever it is safe to do so.

Now more than ever, Nexus understands the need for flexibility to support key workers and industries throughout this period of unprecedented demand in order to keep suppliers and essential services moving throughout the whole of the UK. Whether its supermarkets and online retailers looking to scale-up their fleet for the next quarter, or businesses looking to support their employees by providing vehicles for their commutes, Nexus offers full flexibility for its customers throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.