[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Enterprise Rent-A-Car today announced the appointment of Megadrive Autovermietung GmbH as a new franchise partner, to extend the fast-growing network of Enterprise branches in Europe to include prime locations in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia including major airports and city locations. The locations are set to open later this year.

With Enterprise's combination of corporately owned markets and franchise partners, this latest appointment means that the flagship brand will soon be represented across 23 European countries. Together these countries account for over 90% of car hire demand in Europe.

Austria is a leading destination in Europe for leisure and business travellers, whilst Hungary and Slovakia are European growth stories, benefitting from a rise in tourism as well as an influx of external investment. These three markets deepen Enterprise‘s presence in central Europe, between the company’s wholly-owned operations in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Germany and an expanding network of franchise relationships in Southern and Eastern Europe.

Established in 2008, Megadrive Autovermietung has 12 locations in Austria, two branches in Hungary and four branches in Slovakia. Together these branches provide on airport coverage across the countries' major airports, with additional branches in core city locations.

Commenting on the new agreement, Karlheinz Wiener, Managing Director for Megadrive said: “We are very proud to be chosen as Enterprise Rent-A-Car‘s partner in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. Enterprise is renowned for its customer service ethos and its strong management. We believe that together we can provide a unique service level to customers in these three regions. Enterprise’s entrepreneurial culture opens up the opportunity to develop this relationship further as new vistas arise, to help us both grow stronger through our partnership.”

Peter A. Smith, vice president of global franchising, Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to find such a strong appetite for partnership in Europe. It is only through the support of strong, independent, owner-managed businesses such as Megadrive that we will succeed in growing our footprint across the continent. We already have franchise partners in place that, together with our corporately owned network, account for approximately 90 percent of the European car rental market, and we owe this achievement to the deep market and cultural knowledge of our franchise partners, and the dedication which their employees bring to serve their customers, each and every day. Working with the management and staff of Megadrive has helped us to heighten our knowledge of what European travellers want in these very diverse markets, so that we can bring new choice to meet their requirements.”