It was a case of celebrations all round at Driver Hire’s 2026 national conference, as a whole host of annual trading records were broken by its franchisees.
During the financial year 2025/26 two offices – Aberdeen and Bury St Edmunds – both passed £4M turnover, a level of trading never previously achieved in the Driver Hire network’s 40-year history. At Southampton annual turnover grew by over £1M to reach £3.5M. Its outstanding business performance earned its franchisees, Ash and Charline Mustafa, a further accolade – Driver Hire’s 2026 ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award.
With so many records being broken – another 20 offices collected awards for record turnover levels – it’s hardly surprising that Driver Hire itself also broke new ground, annual UK turnover hitting a record £129.1M, an impressive 7.8% ahead of the previous financial year.
Commenting on the individual and collective performances by Driver Hire offices, Chief Executive, Chris Chidley said: “Driver Hire Aberdeen, Bury St Edmunds and Southampton are to be congratulated on their performances. It’s a result of their hard work and further proof of the success of Driver Hire’s business model. It also speaks volumes about the value of franchising. I’m also pleased to report that the network has got away to a flying start in the new financial year – trading over the first eight weeks is 9% up year-on-year.”