Balloo Hire Centre
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Balloo Hire Centre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Balloo Hire Centre
- Legal name
- Balloo Hire Centres Ltd
- Website
- https://balloohire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Balloo Hire Centre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
Balloo Hire Centre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Equipment Rental: Short-term hire of plant, tools, and equipment. Customers pay rental fees for daily, weekend, or weekly periods. Nearly 10,000 units across 650+ product range. Includes hybrid and fully electric equipment options.
- Sale Goods: Sale of goods including used landscaping equipment and consumables. Ownership transfers to customer upon payment.
- Training and Certification Services: Certified IPAF Training Centre providing equipment operation training and certification courses to employees and customers.
- Delivery and Collection Services: Delivery and collection of equipment across Ireland using fleet of vehicles including pickup trucks, 26T and 32T beaver tail lorries with hiab cranes. Same-day delivery available for plant hire.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Tool Hire - Power Washer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Non-Mechanical Access Equipment - Ladders |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gardening Equipment - Garden Chipper |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cleaning Equipment - Industrial Vacuum |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Plant Hire - 1 Ton Dumper |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Large Excavators - 13 Ton Excavator |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Balloo Hire Centre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Balloo Hire Centre provides short-term rental of plant, tools, and equipment across more than 650 product lines (a fleet of nearly 10,000 units), supplemented by delivery and collection services and IPAF-certified operator training. The company also sells related goods (including used landscaping equipment and consumables) and operates a multi-language inspHire online customer portal for account management and quoting.
Product overview
Balloo Hire Centre is a family-owned equipment rental company operating since 1987 with a fleet of nearly 10,000 units across 650+ product lines from 7 hire centres across Northern Ireland. Their core offering is an integrated equipment hire platform comprising six main product categories: Plant Hire (construction machinery), Tool Hire (power tools), Access Equipment Hire (elevating platforms), Accommodation & Toilet Hire (site welfare), Power Generation Hire (generators), and Hybrid & Fully Electric Hire (eco-friendly equipment). These are complemented by delivery/collection services and IPAF-certified operator training. The company operates the inspHire customer portal for account management and online quoting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plant Hire Short-term rental of heavy construction and earthmoving equipment including mini diggers, excavators (up to 13T and 21T via low-loader), rollers, compactors, telescopic handlers, forklifts, dumpers, lifting equipment, trailers, compressors, and agricultural machinery. Targeted at construction firms, contractors, and self-builders.
- Tool Hire Short-term rental of power tools and hand equipment for trade and DIY projects, covering painting & decorating, cleaning & maintenance, concrete & surface preparation, cutting & grinding, drilling & breaking, welding, surveying, woodworking, lighting, pumps & drainage, air cleaning, material handling, heating & cooling, traffic management, and gardening & landscaping.
- Access Equipment Hire Rental of elevating work platforms for working at height, including electric and diesel scissor lifts, boom lifts, vertical mast lifts, trailer-mounted and tracked lifts, and vehicle-mounted lifts, plus non-mechanical access equipment such as extension ladders.
- Accommodation & Toilet Hire Rental of temporary site accommodation, fencing & barriers, secure storage, welfare facilities, toilets, showers, modular office space, VIP/luxury accommodation, towable welfare units, and event-related welfare infrastructure.
- Power Generation Hire Rental of generators and power distribution equipment, including site power generators ranging from 20-60 kVA and 100-1000 kVA, fuel tanks, cables, distribution equipment, and battery banks.
- Hybrid & Fully Electric Equipment Hire Eco-friendly equipment options spanning plant hire, gardening tools, access equipment, power generation, welfare units, and cleaning equipment, with lower emissions than conventional alternatives for sustainability-led projects and events.
- Delivery & Collection Services Island-wide equipment delivery and collection across Ireland using a fleet of open-backed transit pickups, 26T and 32T beaver-tail lorries with hiab cranes, and low-loader units capable of transporting up to 21T excavators. Same-day delivery available for plant hire; includes on-site familiarisation handover and demonstrations.
- IPAF-Certified Training & Certification IPAF-certified training programmes for Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs) and other equipment operation, delivered to Balloo Hire employees and external customers through the company's certified IPAF Training Centre.
- Sale Goods (Used Equipment & Consumables) Sale of goods including used landscaping equipment and consumables, with ownership transferring to customer upon payment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saved hundreds of man-hours per week scheduling planned deliveries and responding to ad-hoc requests with BigChange system
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Balloo Hire Centre
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Balloo Hire Centre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Balloo Hire Centre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BigChangecoreBigChange provides 5-in-1 cloud-based mobile workforce management technology that has enabled Balloo Hire to radically cut resource required to manage its mobile operation. The system saves hundreds of man-hours per week scheduling deliveries, provides real-time customer updates, achieved paper-free transport department, and realized significant fuel savings.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Balloo Hire Centre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Briggs Equipment: Parent of Balloo Hire within Briggs Group; UK material handling and equipment distributor that acquired Balloo and Laois Hire in 2021. Relevant as the immediate parent and channel for cross-sell, rather than as a direct market competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Boels Rental: Leading European equipment rental group with operations in the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe. Comparable product range across plant, tools, and welfare; would be a relevant peer for any Balloo expansion into GB or further into ROI.
- Vp plc: UK equipment rental group operating UK Forks, MEP Hire, and other specialist hire brands. Overlapping exposure to plant, tool, and powered access hire with a multi-brand portfolio model; larger scale but covers comparable rental verticals.
- Ashtead Group / Sunbelt Rentals: FTSE 100 equipment rental conglomerate operating Sunbelt Rentals in the US/UK/Canada. Competes with Balloo for large UK plant contracts through its A-Plant / Sunbelt UK business; much broader portfolio but overlapping on plant and tool categories.
- Travis Perkins: UK's largest builders' merchant with a tool and plant hire division serving trade customers. Overlaps with Balloo on construction/trade tool hire but as part of a much wider merchanting business rather than as a hire specialist.
Direct peers
- Hewden: UK plant hire specialist focused on construction equipment, powered access, and site services. Comparable fleet-led hire model targeting construction contractors; competitor for large NI infrastructure contracts.
- Speedy Hire: UK's largest tool and equipment hire company operating ~200 depots. Directly comparable on plant, tool, and access equipment hire across construction and infrastructure — operates at much larger scale but same core rental model.
- HSS Hire: National UK tool and equipment hire chain with ~250 locations. Closest direct peer on tool hire breadth and DIY/trade customer mix; competes for similar project-based customers but with broader geographic coverage than Balloo.
- GAP Group: UK-wide plant, tool, and welfare hire specialist with comparable product range to Balloo including powered access, plant, and accommodation units. Targets the same construction/trade and events customer base with depot-based distribution.
Regional players
- Laois Hire: Irish plant and tool hire company acquired alongside Balloo by Briggs Equipment in 2021. Sister business within Briggs Group with overlapping fleet model and ROI customer base — strong comparability on business model though geographically distinct from Balloo's NI focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Balloo Hire Centre social profiles
Digital presenceBalloo Hire Centre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Balloo Hire Centre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Balloo Hire Centre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Balloo Hire Centre M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Balloo Hire Centre
What does Balloo Hire Centre do?
Balloo Hire Centre provides short-term rental of plant, tools, and equipment across more than 650 product lines (a fleet of nearly 10,000 units), supplemented by delivery and collection services and IPAF-certified operator training. The company also sells related goods (including used landscaping equipment and consumables) and operates a multi-language inspHire online customer portal for account management and quoting.
Is Balloo Hire Centre a public or private company?
Balloo Hire Centre is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Balloo Hire Centre founded?
Balloo Hire Centre was founded in 1987. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Balloo Hire Centre based?
Balloo Hire Centre is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Balloo Hire Centre make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Equipment Rental is the primary driver. The others are sale Goods, training and Certification Services and delivery and Collection Services.
Who are Balloo Hire Centre's main competitors?
Briggs Equipment is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Boels Rental, Vp plc, Ashtead Group / Sunbelt Rentals and Travis Perkins. Direct peers are Hewden, Speedy Hire, HSS Hire and GAP Group. Laois Hire is listed as a regional player.
Does Balloo Hire Centre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Balloo Hire Centre.