Lex Autolease said it had seen demand for its short-term vans almost double and is providing 15,000 light commercial vehicles a day to businesses during December, up from a daily average of 8,000 throughout the rest of 2014.
Unprecedented online retail sales with traffic to UK retail sites increasing by 60% on Black Friday compared to 2013, and online spend reaching £810million, has left some businesses in need of additional support to meet the seasonal demand.
'The appetite for online shopping is on the increase generally, and the festive season is always a notoriously busy period for commercial vehicles,' commented Ian Drayton, senior manager in car & van rental at Lex Autolease. 'With the added pressures of Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounting, we are finding that our customers were at full capacity by November.
'For those businesses that operate a fleet and rely on their vehicles to get the job done, pressure at this time of year is greater than ever. Having the flexibility to expand fleet size quickly can make or break a company faced with seasonal fluctuations in vehicle requirements.
'The raft of pre-Christmas discounting across the online retailers seems set to become a yearly event. It is crucial that businesses are well-equipped to make the most of increased demand in the run up to Christmas, and that fleet managers are aware of their options well in advance of the seasonal rush.'
Lex Autolease offers businesses the opportunity to access low mileage cars and light commercial vehicles on short term leases, typically within five working days, to help fulfil their fleet requirements during peak seasonal trading periods.