News Extra: Capital City Cars Acquisition

The completion of the acquisition of the goodwill and assets of Capital City Cars Limited was announced on 10th March 2006.

Capital City commenced their operation in 1995 from premises in Greenwich and have now moved into the Chauffeurcar headquarters in Kings Cross.

The attraction of this acquisition for the Chauffeurcar PLC Board was:

  • Shared commitment to customer service
  • Their clients’ workflow fits in logistically well with Chauffeurcar’s existing commitments
  • Anticipated improvements in efficiency and gross operation margins
  • Reduction in reliance on sub-contracting jobs at peak times
  • Gaining key people, Ian Handley, Stephen George and Winston Vacciana, whose experience will assist from a management perspective in taking the company forward
  • This enabled Chauffeurcar to streamline the combined employee workforce to gain economies of scale
  • Capital City’s unequivocal commitment to the environment, pioneering the use of alternatively fuelled vehicles minimising CO2 emissions and atmospheric pollution
  • Their client base includes Central Government, who themselves are committed to greener issues, HSBC, the London business community, BBC and other media organisations as well as private individuals.

Roy Kent, CEO of Chauffeurcar said: “I very much welcome this move as we believe that commitment to the environment is a very strong selling point in the current economic climate and, importantly, leading into the 2012 Olympic Games. Indeed, Capital City were the recipients of an EAST award in 2005 as part of an environmental and sustainable transport project.

The commitment to the use of LPG fuelled vehicles by Capital City has raised our interest in pursuing this strategy and we are currently undertaking a review of the cost saving and marketing benefits of running an entirely “green” fleet.”

With the current Capital City fleet of 17 vehicles and the addition of approximately 20 vehicles required to support the additional work through the recently won Heathrow and Gatwick Etihad contract, it is anticipated that the Chauffeurcar fleet will grow to 90 vehicles plus by mid-2006.