Co-op Travel has signed a new car hire agreement with Carrentals.co.uk, which will see the cooptravel.co.uk website compare prices from over 35 car rental companies through a white label service.

The first company to incorporate the Carrentals.co.uk white label solution into their website, Co-op Travel will now offer a more integrated experience for customers, enabling them to compare a wide range of cars, companies and prices through a fully branded car hire section.

Through the new agreement Co-op Travel aims to double its car rental business in the first year.

Justin Joyce, Head of Customer Experience at Co-op Travel, says: “While we had car hire on the site before, it failed to offer the quality customer experience we need to deliver in the current market. As a result we looked to provide a more comprehensive service that would ensure visitors to our site got the best choice of prices and providers.

“The Carrentals solution offered us the ability to include their full comparison service, but with our own branding throughout. The result is a far superior car hire experience for our customers, with feedback from users already very positive and bookings in the first few days of launch well ahead of target.”

The announcement comes as many travellers face car hire shortages and price rises in popular destinations across the UK and Europe, as car rental companies cut stock levels for 2009 in light of the recession. The new Co-op Travel car hire service will now offer a wider choice of both large and small rental suppliers, providing more choice of cars and prices in one place.

To promote the new offering Co-op Travel has made car hire more prominent throughout its site, with customers benefiting from a fairer, broader choice of car hire options.

Gareth Robinson, managing director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “This is the first white label agreement we have entered into, but the quality of our car hire offering is attracting growing interest from companies who want to enhance their customer experience in this area. We’ve invested a lot in developing the technology to deliver a first class comparison service, and we are confident that Co-op Travel will quickly see the benefits this brings in terms of sales and service.”

Carrentals.co.uk was voted Best Car Hire Website in the 2008 Travolution awards, and compares prices from over 35 leading rental providers including Alamo, Budget, Holiday Autos, and Thrifty.

Co-op Travel is part of the Midcounties Co-operative and is one of the largest independent travel agents, offering a wide range of holiday options. www.cooptravel.co.uk.

For more information on car hire and Carrentals.co.uk visit www.Carrentals.co.uk