b'CHAPTER 06GOING THEIR OWN WAY | 61BUY THAT? BLOODY OATH: CONQUERING AUSTRALIA, ONE ACQUISITION AT A TIMEListing every acquisition Kennards Hire has made overBIG MOVESthe years would take a whilethere are a lot of them!After more than forty years of consistent but slow However, a select few purchases had the effect ofsuccess, in 1992 the company finally made a big move catapulting Kennards Hire to the next level, thanks to its largest and most significant acquisition since its strategic positioning and providing a gateway to newfounding: eight branches from the Australian hire arm states or new markets. of UK giant GKN. It was an offer Kennards Hire couldnt refusefive locations in New South Wales (Botany, Many people talk about the legendary acquisitionBrookvale, Burwood, Hornsby and Wetherill Park) and trips, where a team descends and Kennardises athree in Queensland (Coopers Plains, Bowen Hills and location within a single day, sometimes springing theBurleigh West), along with stock and staff.jaw-dropping transformations onto unsuspecting customers halfway through a hire. Sean Brown, siteWhen the employees arrived for their first day at the manager New South Wales operations, remembers onenew Kennards Hire locations, they quickly began learning such trip after Kennards Hire bought Go Hire. He rentedthe ropes. It was a steep learning curve, but they were a chainsaw to a customer in the morning and when thedetermined to work together to make it a success.customer returned in the afternoon he did a double take, wondering if he was in the right place! When Sean toldTwo years later, the second GKN acquisition was him it was now Kennards Hire, he couldnt believe howcompleted, with a share buyout that added seven more much could be done in such a short time. branches in New South Wales and provided a presence in the ACT with three branches there. Again, it was a priority THE FIRST ONE to keep as many good people as possible. In a major Kennards Hires purchase of Fasta Equipment Hire incoup, Kennards Hire acquired GKNs managing director, 1972 may not have made the biggest headlines, but itPeter Lancken, along with the rest of the branches. The most certainly marked a turning point. For the first time,significant deal caused the Australian Financial Reviewthe company spread its reach outside of New Southto speculate that a public float was imminent.Wales and into Queensland. It was also its inaugural buyout of another business. In 1974, Kennards Hire tookPetes thirst for acquisition was even stronger than a fifty-fifty stake in Shed Hire with Dave Roebuck atAndys and under his leadership, Kennards Hire wasRydalmere, and another minor milestone was reached.set to take over Australia.Kennards Hires growth during this era was due to many acquisitions and new greenfield locations.A select few purchases had the effect of catapulting Kennards Hire to the next level, thanks to strategic positioning and providing a gateway to new states or new markets.'