What PKL Group does

PKL Group, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, United Kingdom, is a specialist provider of temporary and permanent catering infrastructure. The company operates a fleet of more than 600 temporary kitchen units and an inventory of over 55,000 commercial catering equipment items (production, preparation, refrigeration, warewashing, holding, and servery/dining), which it rents to customers requiring short- or long-term catering capacity. Its product portfolio spans temporary kitchen units, cold rooms, food cubes and kiosks, lightweight halls, and modular permanent installations (KitchenPods, Podules, modular cafés, food technology kitchens), as well as remote-site containerised kitchens delivered internationally via its Transworld Kitchens division.

The company's business model combines recurring rental revenue (temporary kitchen and equipment hire on short- and long-term contracts), one-time sale revenue (permanent modular kitchen installations), and managed services revenue (turnkey remote-site deployments, some delivered through an international agent network). All pricing is custom-quoted; there is no public price list or self-serve e-commerce channel. Demand is captured via a 'Request a Quote' and 'Brochure Request' model on its website, supported by a direct enterprise field-sales team.

PKL serves schools and multi-academy trusts (including emergency kitchen replacements such as Saracens High School post-fire), event operators (Goodwood, Bloomsbury Big Top/Cirque Lumiere, with 500+ events supplied annually), NHS and healthcare facilities, government and public-sector bodies (Wigan Council), conservation organisations (RSPB reserves), and remote-site operators in mining, energy, and military sectors. The company holds ISO 9001/14001/45001 certifications, SafeContractor, Constructionline, CHAS, Gas Safe, CSCS, and Refcom accreditations, and is a member of ESPO and YPO procurement frameworks. PKL has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Lowe Rental Corporation since its 2019 acquisition.

Name

PKL Group

Legal name

PKL Group (UK) Ltd

Website

https://pkl.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PKL Group is a UK-based specialist provider of temporary and permanent catering infrastructure, operating a fleet of 600+ temporary kitchen units and 55,000+ catering equipment items for hire. It serves education, events, healthcare, government, conservation, and remote-site clients with turnkey modular kitchen solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Catering Infrastructure Rental

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Catering Equipment, Rentals & Setup (Non-decor) (HSACAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catering, Pantry & Food Service (On-site Refreshments/Events) (IMAIALAD), Cafeteria, Kitchen & Foodservice Equipment (Serving Lines, Refrigeration, Smallwares) (EDAEAIAJ)

Keywords

• Modular kitchen rental
• Catering equipment hire
• Temporary kitchen units
• Commercial kitchen infrastructure
• Event catering solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bishops Cleeve

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Temporary Kitchen Unit Rental: Rental of temporary kitchen units on short- and long-term contracts to businesses and organisations undergoing refurbishments, facing emergency closures, or requiring additional catering capacity for events. Fleet of 600+ units.
2. Catering Equipment Hire: Rental of individual commercial catering equipment items (over 55,000 items) including production, preparation, refrigeration, warewashing, holding, and servery/dining equipment. Sold as standalone hire or bundled with kitchen unit rental.
3. Permanent Modular Kitchen Sales: Sale and installation of permanent modular kitchens, KitchenPods, Food Cubes/Kiosks, Café and Dining Facilities, and Podules to schools, businesses, and public sector organisations seeking long-term catering infrastructure solutions.
4. Remote Site Kitchen Solutions (Transworld): Modular, containerised and rapid-deployment kitchen and camp facilities delivered internationally to remote sites including mining, energy, and military operations. Provided as turnkey service or via agency/network model in some regions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PKL Group supplies temporary and permanent catering infrastructure, including over 600 temporary kitchen units, modular permanent kitchens (KitchenPods, Food Cubes, Podules), cold rooms, and a fleet of 55,000+ commercial catering equipment items for hire. The company delivers turnkey services covering site survey, CAD/3D design, project management, delivery, installation, and 24/7 technical support to organisations in education, events, healthcare, government, military, conservation, and remote site sectors across the UK and worldwide.

Product overview

PKL Group is a world-leading supplier of catering infrastructure solutions established in 1988, operating as part of Lowe Rental Corporation. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of physical products and services organised into four main categories: Temporary Solutions (temporary kitchen units, cold rooms, emergency kitchens, food cubes, lightweight halls, and laundry units for hire), Permanent Solutions (KitchenPods, modular cafes, food cubes, podules, food technology kitchens, and large-scale modular kitchens), Event Solutions (event kitchen units, marquee kitchens, and major event infrastructure), and Remote Site Solutions (modular kitchens, bakeries, and camp facilities for global deployment). The fleet comprises over 600 temporary kitchen units and inventory of 55,000 catering equipment items available for hire. Complementary services include site surveys, kitchen design (CAD/3D), equipment preparation, project management, delivery/installation, 24/7 technical support, and contingency planning. The product architecture functions as a unified physical infrastructure offering rather than a software platform, with products ranging from individual equipment hire to complete turnkey modular installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Temporary Kitchen Units Mobile temporary kitchen units available for hire, configured from single-bay to large multi-bay setups, providing complete cooking, refrigeration, warewashing, and servery facilities for refurbishments, emergencies, and events.
• Cold Rooms Walk-in cold rooms, freezer rooms, blast chillers, and upright refrigeration units for hire to support temporary and permanent catering operations across events, schools, and sites.
• Catering Equipment Hire Rental of over 55,000 commercial catering equipment items including production (ovens, bratt pans, gas burners), preparation, refrigeration, warewashing, holding, and servery/dining equipment.
• Large Scale Temporary Kitchens Large-scale temporary kitchen facilities capable of serving thousands of people, designed for major events, military deployments, and large-scale emergency catering operations.
• Emergency Kitchen Hire Rapid-deployment emergency kitchen solutions for unplanned closures caused by fires, floods, equipment failures, or other disasters requiring immediate catering infrastructure.
• Temporary Food Cubes and Kiosks Self-contained modular food service kiosks and walk-in food cubes for temporary deployment at events, schools, and outdoor locations, providing enclosed serving facilities.
• KitchenPods (Permanent Modular Kitchens) Permanent modular kitchen pods designed for schools and educational facilities, providing complete kitchen and dining facilities in a factory-built modular format installed on-site.
• Permanent Food Cubes and Kiosks Permanent modular food cube and kiosk solutions for outdoor dining, school canteens, and visitor facilities, available as walk-in units for self-service operations.
• Modular Cafe and Restaurant Facilities Permanent timber-clad or custom-finished modular cafe and restaurant facilities designed to specification with full kitchen and dining areas, including wildlife-friendly anti-bird strike glazing for sensitive sites.
• Podules Compact modular kitchen units designed for smaller footprint permanent installations, suited to education and sports facilities.
• Food Technology Kitchens Specialist modular kitchens designed for food technology teaching and training facilities in educational settings.
• Large Scale Permanent Modular Kitchens Large permanent modular kitchen facilities for high-capacity catering operations, built to order for schools, NHS trusts, and other organisations.
• Event Kitchen Units Fully-equipped temporary kitchen units specifically designed for event catering operations, supporting food preparation and service at festivals, sporting events, and outdoor events.
• Marquee Kitchens Temporary kitchen installations designed to operate within marquee structures at events and outdoor functions.
• Major Event Solutions Large-scale kitchen infrastructure for major international events, providing complete temporary catering facilities including kitchens, cold rooms, and equipment for thousands of guests.
• Remote Site Kitchens and Camps (Transworld) Modular, containerised kitchen and dining facilities designed for remote mining, construction, energy, and military sites worldwide, including turnkey installation services.
• Remote Site Bakeries Complete modular bakery facilities for remote site deployments, providing in-house bread and pastry production capability for camps and remote operations.
• Laundry Units Mobile laundry units for hire, providing commercial laundry facilities for remote sites, events, and temporary operations requiring textile processing.
• Lightweight Halls Rapid-deployment lightweight structural halls for creating temporary covered spaces for catering, dining, and events.
• RENTAL+ Foodservice Equipment Program Specialist foodservice equipment rental program offering commercial kitchen equipment with managed services to catering businesses.
• Turnkey Project Services Comprehensive turnkey services encompassing site survey, CAD design and 3D renders, equipment preparation, dedicated project management, delivery and installation, and 24/7 manned technical support.

Quantifiable outcome

• PKL supplies kitchens and catering equipment to over 500 events per year across the UK
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lowe Rental CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Lowe Rental Corporation acquired PKL Group in 2019, integrating it as a subsidiary. PKL operates as 'PKL, A Lowe Rental Company' and is part of Lowe Rental Corporation's diversified portfolio of brands providing sustainable rental services globally. The acquisition strengthened Lowe Rental's position as a global leader in catering equipment and kitchen infrastructure rental. Karen Rumsey, Chief Operating Officer of Lowe Rental Corporation, has been quoted on PKL's award announcements.
• RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPKL designed and installed custom modular café and dining facilities at 4 RSPB nature reserves (Conwy, The Lodge, Frampton Marsh, Dee Estuary). Each facility was individually designed to meet specific environmental and aesthetic requirements, featuring wildlife-friendly anti-bird strike glazing. Facilities have increased visitor satisfaction and revenue at all four sites. Ross Frazer, Senior Project Manager at RSPB, led the collaboration.
• Half the StoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPKL Group announced a partnership with Half the Story, described as 'Empowering Change through Collaboration.' Half the Story is a charitable organisation focused on youth empowerment. PKL's CSR page references this partnership, suggesting a community and social impact collaboration.
• FER (Foodservice Equipment Rental)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFER (Foodservice Equipment Rental) attended the NHS Transforming the Estate event alongside PKL and LoweConex, indicating cross-brand collaboration within the Lowe Rental Corporation group. FER's Commercial Managers Kelli Barrett and Claire Nagra participated alongside PKL's Andy Mellon.
• LoweConexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLoweConex attended the NHS Transforming the Estate event alongside PKL and FER, indicating cross-brand collaboration within the Lowe Rental Corporation group for NHS estate management solutions. Divisional Sales Director Orla McGreevy represented LoweConex.
• FoodbuyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPKL participated in Foodbuy's Pitch Social event which sparked a mentorship with Jubilee Events and PKL Group. Foodbuy is a major foodservice procurement organisation. PKL's COO Karen Rumsey attended Foodbuy's Supplier Conference. This relationship provides access to Foodbuy's procurement network of catering operators.
• Awesome EventscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwesome Events organised the Cirque Lumiere event at Bloomsbury Big Top (London's most iconic seasonal event venue). PKL provided a full scalable temporary kitchen and refrigeration solution for up to 1,200 guests per evening for the 5.5-week event, including walk-in fridges, freezers, blast chillers, and full catering equipment suite. PKL was shortlisted for 2 Festival Supplier Awards for this engagement. Senior Event and Sales Manager Molly McCourt and Executive Chef Wayne Smith of Awesome Group (parent of Awesome Events) provided testimonials praising PKL's responsiveness and expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Premier Modular: Premier Modular provides permanent and temporary modular buildings across the UK, with strong presence in education and healthcare. Comparable to PKL as a direct competitor for modular kitchen and dining facility installations in schools and hospitals, although Premier operates more broadly across building types beyond catering.
• Wernick Group: Wernick Group is a UK family-owned modular building manufacturer and hire specialist, including the Portakabin Hire brand. Comparable to PKL because it offers both permanent modular and temporary hire building solutions, competing for UK education and public-sector framework business alongside PKL.
• Algeco: Algeco is a leading European modular space and portable building provider. Comparable to PKL because it offers modular permanent and semi-permanent building solutions for education, public sector, and commercial customers — overlapping with PKL's KitchenPods and permanent modular kitchen line, though broader in scope beyond catering infrastructure.
• Portakabin: Portakabin is a UK-based modular building manufacturer and rental provider serving education, healthcare, and commercial sectors. Comparable to PKL because its modular building product overlaps with PKL's permanent KitchenPods and modular café facilities, and it competes for similar public-sector framework contracts.
• Elliott UK: Elliott is a UK provider of portable and modular building solutions for hire and sale, serving education, healthcare, and construction. Comparable to PKL because its portable building hire fleet competes with PKL's temporary kitchen units for education-sector refurbishment and emergency deployment opportunities.

Regional players

• Losberger De Boer: Losberger De Boer is a European leader in modular space solutions, event structures, and temporary buildings. Comparable to PKL because it supplies temporary catering and event infrastructure including marquees and modular kitchens, primarily across continental Europe rather than the UK domestic market PKL dominates.

Others

• Sunbelt Rentals: Sunbelt Rentals is the UK arm of Ashtead Group and one of the largest equipment rental companies in the world. Comparable to PKL because it demonstrates the asset-heavy rental model at scale across adjacent categories (construction equipment, power, climate control) that PKL operates within for the catering infrastructure vertical.
• Speedy Hire: Speedy Hire is a UK-listed equipment rental company serving construction, infrastructure, and industrial markets. Comparable to PKL as a UK-headquartered specialist equipment rental operator with a similar capital-intensive fleet model, though Speedy's categories (tools, plant, power) sit outside catering infrastructure.
• Nisbets: Nisbets is the UK's largest supplier of catering equipment and supplies, primarily to foodservice operators via retail and online channels. Comparable to PKL because it sits in the broader UK catering equipment ecosystem, though Nisbets sells equipment to owners while PKL rents it to users — making Nisbets more of an adjacent channel than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Mobile Kitchens USA: Mobile Kitchens USA is a US-based rental company specializing in temporary mobile kitchen units, modular kitchens, and foodservice equipment rentals. The closest direct comparable to PKL in business model — both rent temporary kitchens and catering equipment to customers facing refurbishments, emergencies, or events, though operating in different geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Facebookfacebook.com/pklgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pkl-group-uk-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/pklgroup

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PKL Group