Where it’s really all Go
18 November 2020
Since establishing GoHire in 2015, expanding the business was always in managing director Sally Wray’s mind. So when two opportunities to do so came along recently, she seized them and the Hull-based company is now adding two more depots.
The first is through the acquisition of Caspian Access and Plant Hire Ltd’s depot in Grimsby. It is part of the Caspian Group, which specialises in scaffolding services and is one of GoHire’s re-hire partners but now wants to focus on its core activities.
“Grimsby was always a target location for us, so this was an ideal opportunity. I heard about it in September, moved quickly and we completed the deal in October,” says Sally, who is pictured with Caspian Group managing director Neil Garrison, sealing the deal with a Covid-compliant elbow bump. They will work together through a two-year transition period.
The Grimsby depot, which employs five people, will be re-branded by January. “It’s been established for around 30 years and also has strong sales and repair operations,” says Sally.
The acquisition opportunity came at the same time as GoHire was planning a second depot in Hull. “We completed the purchase of a building on 30 October. It’s a former working men’s club - complete with a dance floor and, even, a glitter ball - but we will completely refurbish it and plan to open it by February.
“The city of Hull resembles a semi-circle with the River Humber running through the middle. Our current depot is on the western side and some people don’t want to travel from east. Our new location is in Stoneferry on the eastern side and will enable us to target a new customer base. We’ll be recruiting more staff for it.
“We’re also running out of space because we’re so busy. The additional site gives us much more, plus a large yard.”
GoHire reported its busiest ever month in September, and that record was beaten in October. “Everything seemed to be put on pause immediately after the first lockdown in March and I think a lot of trade customers have been busy catching up since,” says Sally.
“We’re also careful in investing in the right equipment. We’ve just bought two Doosan mini excavators, which were items we used to re-hire, and we have added more indirect heaters from The Hire Supply Company (HSC) for the winter.
“We get more and more business through word of mouth and via social media. It really seems to have started snowballing.”
