Spanish battle

If Euroloc and GAM have long been competitors on the general rental scene, they are now also facing each other head–to–head on the access battleground.

Euroloc's addition of Nacanco and Umesa will give it an access fleet in excess of 9000 machines by the end of the year. GAM, on the other hand, was already a major access player before its acquisition of Vilatel earlier this year, although the addition of Vilatel's 4000–strong fleet pushed its access holdings beyond 9100 units, second only to Ramirent and Lavendon in Europe.

The two businesses have further extended their dominance of the Spanish rental market, with GAM's revenues for this year likely to reach around ∈300 million, and Euroloc's acquisitions growing the company's revenues by about 30% to reach a likely level of ∈240 million.

If the European Rental Association's ∈2,25 billion estimate for the size of the Spanish rental business is correct, the two companies will enjoy a combined market share of around 25%. That's a respectable level, but there is room for more.