DAILY HIRE FOR SELF DRIVE • LONG TERM FLEET HIRE • SHORT TERM FLEET HIRE • PRIVATE OR BUSINESS USE •
Our Heritage
Salford Van Hire began in 1965, when our founder Raffaello Bacci — then a maker of lampshades and ornamental statuettes in Salford — decided to rent out his delivery van when it wasn’t in use. The demand was so strong that he quickly bought another van, and then another. That same entrepreneurial spirit has driven our steady growth ever since.
From those humble beginnings, Salford Van Hire has grown into one of the largest independent vehicle rental organisations in the UK, with depots in Manchester and Leeds, a turnover in excess of £45 million, and a reputation built on reliability, value and service.
For over 60 years, our independence has been our strength. We remain privately owned and run by a team of experienced transport professionals who know the industry inside out. Without the red tape of large corporations, we’re able to make quick, effective decisions for our customers — a key reason why so many of them return to us year after year.
Over the decades we have built one of the biggest and most diverse rental fleets in the country, covering everything from small cars and weekend hire, to vans and trucks for DIY moves, through to nationwide contract hire fleets with full maintenance packages. Whether you need a vehicle for a single day or long-term business use, we’ve always stayed true to the promise of immediate availability.
Today, with Raffaello’s family still closely involved, Salford Van Hire continues to balance the friendly, flexible approach of our beginnings with the strength and resources of a major national operator. It’s a heritage we’re proud of — and one that drives us forward every day.
1960s
The 1960s were our launchpad. In 1965 we introduced Salford Van Hire Limited to Manchester with simple promises that set our tone: fully insured new vans, A1 maintenance, no hidden extras, and fair rates for short or long journeys, first from 59 Camp Street, Broughton (Salford 7), with the memorable BRO 2060 phone line. Those early newspaper adverts captured a straight-talking, value-led service that won local trust and laid the foundations for the growth that followed.
1970s
The 1970s set the foundations for Salford Van Hire: a decade of steady growth, professionalising our brand and earning early recognition in the trade press. By 1976 we were appearing in Commercial Motor, signalling industry attention to our approach and ambitions, while our 1977 letterhead reflects a more formal identity and customer-facing discipline: the beginnings of the clear, reliable service that would define the eighties and beyond.
1980s
The eighties were a defining decade for SVH: we grew from a small, straight-forward local hire firm into a trusted partner for businesses, pairing transparent pricing with a smarter, better-presented fleet. By the mid-’80s our brochures and brand materials reflected a more professional, customer-led operation with formal contracts and long-term arrangements, while SVH News (launched 1986) showcased our people and progress. Late-decade trade-press coverage and specialist work, including temperature-controlled logistics, highlighted a maturing company that stayed practical at heart. The SVH ethos of reliable vehicles, fair terms and family-run service took shape here and still drives us today.
1990s
The nineties marked SVH’s coming-of-age: a 25th-anniversary milestone, a larger, more diverse fleet and a shift from straightforward daily hire to full-service solutions. We expanded contract hire and long-term agreements, tightened service standards, and invested in newer, better-specified vehicles to meet corporate expectations. Branding and customer communications matured, while our operations became more structured and responsive, laying the groundwork for the national partnerships and professional fleet management offer that defined the 2000s.
2000s
The 2000s saw SVH evolve into a contract-led fleet partner for businesses. Long-term hire and managed agreements became standard, supported by clearer documentation, tighter SLAs and a younger, better-specified fleet. Stronger relationships with manufacturers and dealers improved availability and turnaround, while day-to-day operations modernised from paper and fax workflows to streamlined processes and polished sales collateral. The result was a dependable, scalable service model that set the platform for growth in the decade that followed.
2010s
The 2010s were about scale and modernisation. We expanded contract hire and managed fleet services, refreshed the brand, and invested heavily in newer, cleaner vehicles to meet tighter emissions standards. Technology took centre stage: better tracking, reporting and service scheduling, so clients got faster turnaround, clearer costs and stronger compliance. With deeper sector expertise and long-term partnerships, SVH matured into a national-level, data-driven fleet partner while keeping the family-run service our customers expect.
