Case study · Equipment hire

From local hire company to national success.

Client · Smiths Hire Industry · Equipment & Tool Hire Services · Brand, Web, SEO, PPC, Social, Print

Founder track record: delivered with TRIO co-founder David Turner as Smiths Hire’s Sales & Marketing Director for 11 years.

Smiths Hire liveried DAF truck loaded with orange access platforms
The brand Smiths Hire · one identity from livery to web

6 → 19

Depots, from a Lancashire local to national coverage by 2026

11 yrs

At the helm of sales and marketing, inside the business

Full stack

Sales management, brand, design, website, SEO, PPC, social, signage, livery and print

The challenge.

Smiths Hire was a respected local tool and plant hire business in a market dominated by national chains. Growing meant winning twice: being found by every construction business searching for kit today, and being trusted enough to keep them tomorrow.

That takes more than ads. Every touchpoint (depots, trucks, brochures, website) had to look and feel like one confident national brand, years before the depot count caught up.

Hand holding a phone showing the Smiths Hire Go Digital, Get Priority campaign
Hire online Book online for priority fast-track service
Smiths Hire brand across website, hire directory and liveried vans
6 → 19 Depots, from local to national

Imagery: Smiths Hire.

The approach

Four stages. Local roots, national reach.

Attract.

Owned hire searches. SEO and PPC were built around what tradespeople actually search (kit, location, availability) so Smiths showed up first in every catchment it entered.

Engage.

Branded everything that moves. Livery, signage, print and social carried one identity. Every truck on the motorway became an advert; every depot opening arrived looking established.

Convert.

Made booking the fast lane. The ‘Go Digital, Get Priority’ push moved hire online: book online, get fast-tracked. A clear reason to convert, baked into the service itself.

Grow.

Compounded depot by depot. The playbook repeated across each new territory: 6 depots grew to 19 by 2026, taking a local name to national success.

Your brand could be the next story.

Whether it’s a revival, a relaunch or growth from a standing start, it begins with one honest conversation.