Contact us Site map Print page Cookie policy Home About us Corporate responsibility Investor centre Media centre Careers Contact us HOME: ABOUT US OUR STRATEGY About us At a glance What we do Our business model The strategy behind what we do Corporate governance Our history Our strategy A focus on the US We operate in both the US and the UK but our primary strategic focus is on expanding our US business. This is because of the growth opportunities in the US which is a market five times bigger than the UK. There has also been significant underinvestment in US infrastructure, a situation which simply has to change. As we are a key supplier of equipment used in infrastructure construction, that means the market for our services can only grow. In addition, the still relatively low level of rental penetration in the US compared to the UK and the increasing trend towards rental provide significant opportunities for us. Rental penetration is only approaching 50% in the US while it is already at 75% in the UK. Renting equipment rather than owning and maintaining it reduces contractors' risk and helps them protect their own balance sheet. It has become increasingly worthwhile for contractors to move to a more outsourced model of equipment provision. The US rental industry is still a young and fragmented industry. It is also a capital intensive one. We invest regularly in fleet to ensure it remains of the highest standard and in the best condition. After an average of seven or eight years, equipment becomes old and needs to be replaced. It can also become obsolete. Our ability to invest in the fleet while our smaller, less well financed competitors have been either constrained or have failed, has positioned us strongly as more customers have turned to rental. There will continue to be opportunities for us in a market where the more resilient players are likely to get bigger and stronger. We have worked hard over recent years to cement the benefits of the structural change taking place in the US rental market. Disclaimer Privacy Contact us Feedback Cookie policy Request information 2015 Ashtead Group plc. All rights reserved Designed and built by Excite Cookie Control Accept This site uses unobtrusive cookies to store information on your computer. By using our site you accept the terms of our Privacy Policy. READ MORE