Avis Europe plc is a United Kingdom-based company which holds the licence to operate the two main

vehicle rental A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velomobiles), animal-powered tr ...

brands of Avis Budget Group (

Avis Car Rental Avis Car Rental, LLC is a Global car rental company headquartered in Parsippany–Troy Hills, New Jersey, Parsippany, New Jersey. Along with Budget Rent a Car, Budget Truck Rental and Zipcar, Avis is a unit of Avis Budget Group. Avis Budget ...

and Budget Rent a Car) in

Europe, the Middle East and Africa Europe, the Middle East and Africa, commonly known by its acronym EMEA among the North American business spheres, is a geographical region used by institutions, governments and global spheres of marketing, media and business when referring to t ...

as well as Asia in the case of Avis. In 2011 it was acquired by Avis Budget Group.

History

The company was an operating division of Avis Rent a Car until 1986, when it was spun out and listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

. The firm was then acquired by a

consortium A consortium () is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a ...

of Avis Group,

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

and

D'Ieteren D'Ieteren Group SA/NV is a company, based in Belgium that is engaged in automobile distribution and vehicle glass repair and replacement (VGRR) and other industrial activities related to spare parts. History Founded by master coachbuilder ...

in 1989 before being listed on the LSE once more in 1997. While Avis and GM sold their stakes in Avis Europe, D'Ieteren continued to hold a controlling 59.6% stake in the firm. In 2003, shortly after Budget was acquired by Avis's then-parent

Cendant Cendant Corporation was an American provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, it broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses. Although it was based in New Yo ...

, Avis Europe also took over the rights to that brand in its operating regions (except Asia). In October 2011, Avis Europe was re-acquired by the brand's current parent company, Avis Budget Group, for US$1 billion.Avis Budget buys Avis Europe for $1 billion
AP, 3 October 2011

Management

Operations

The group's Avis-branded operations comprise over 2,900 offices in 112 countries across

EMEA Europe, the Middle East and Africa, commonly known by its acronym EMEA among the North American business spheres, is a geographical region used by institutions, governments and global spheres of marketing, media and business when referring to t ...

and Asia. Of these, franchisees operate by licence in 99 nations, while Avis Europe has directly owned and operated

subsidiaries A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidiary company. Unl ...

in the remaining thirteen (mostly in Western Europe). The group has Budget-branded operations at over 900 sites in 66 countries across EMEA ( Avis Budget Group operates Budget in Asia). All of these are franchised except for those in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, France and the United Kingdom.

References

External links

Official Parent Site
{{Vehicle rental brands Avis Budget Group Companies based in Bracknell 2011 mergers and acquisitions Retail companies established in 1986 Car rental companies of the United Kingdom Transport companies established in 1986