TP Hire goes B2C: access to pro plant and tools for small UK project teams
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Travis Perkins has opened its TP Hire fleet of tools, machinery, plant and site equipment to non‑account customers nationwide via a new pay‑as‑you‑go model. More than 300 TP Hire branches embedded in Travis Perkins stores will now rent out over 70,000 products to any customer presenting a photo ID plus a recent utility bill or bank statement, with kit hireable at one branch and returnable to another. The move broadens access to professional‑grade equipment for small contractors, self‑builders and domestic projects without trade accounts.
Technical Brief
- More than 300 TP Hire branches embedded within Travis Perkins stores now feed the same fleet.
- Fleet scale is quoted at over 70,000 hire products across tools, machinery, plant and site equipment.
- Non‑account users are onboarded via two‑step ID: photo ID plus recent utility bill or bank statement.
- Cross‑branch return capability enables one‑way logistics, useful for linear works or multi‑site programmes.
- TP Hire managing director Ian Sharman‑Jones confirms nationwide roll‑out rather than a regional pilot.
- DIY and self‑build users gain direct access to trade‑level plant typically specified on commercial projects.
Our Take
Within our 625 Infrastructure stories, UK-focused pieces are often about regional contractors or plant specialists, so TP Hire’s link to the national Travis Perkins network gives it unusually dense geographic coverage for a hire offer going direct to consumers.
Requiring two forms of ID for access to TP Hire’s B2C service signals that, even in a retail-facing model, UK plant and tool hire is likely to keep banking-style KYC standards, which can slow casual uptake but reduces fraud and asset loss risk for operators.
With more than 300 TP Hire branches embedded in Travis Perkins stores, this move effectively turns a trade-merchant footprint into a distributed plant-hire platform, which could pressure smaller independents in secondary UK towns that rely on walk-in domestic customers.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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