The Woodford Group recently announced its partnership with Enterprise Holdings, one of the world’s largest vehicle-rental companies.

This will see car-rental options from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rent a Car introduced at all Woodford Car Hire’s current and upcoming locations. These include OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka international airports and four inner-city branches across the country.

Woodford has about an 8% market share in the South African car-rental industry. A source at the group told Tourism Update it intended to double this in the next year, attributing a large part of its potential growth to its partnership with Enterprise.

The two groups plan to service the international and local markets. Each will market its product to its respective target audience, with fulfilment taking place at Woodford’s South African locations.

To ensure there are adequate vehicles in the fleet following the partnership, Woodford will grow its own fleet, rather than Enterprise bringing vehicles into the country. Woodford’s fleet has been increased to 2 500 vehicles and it is planning to double this by 2024. In terms of sustainability, hybrid vehicles have already been incorporated into the fleet and the group plans to introduce electric vehicles next year.

The partnership has been made possible by Woodford’s 30-year progress. The group has invested in technology to improve customer interactions, and several review platforms rate it highest of car-rental companies across the country.

"At Enterprise, we aim to partner with local providers that have a strong reputation for customer service excellence. Our new partner in South Africa has always put an emphasis on bringing a personal touch to its service, and its investment in technology and wide selection of vehicles will ensure the best possible experience for our customers," said Enterprise Holdings Assistant VP of Global Franchising – EMEA, Jon Flansburg.

Asked about the state of the industry, the Woodford source told Tourism Update: “The car-rental industry has enjoyed a boom after the pandemic, with people wanting to travel for both business and leisure.” The group has reached utilisation levels surpassing those from before the pandemic, a trend that seems to be continuing. It is also expecting a successful festive season, noting that both local and international visitors are eager to travel.