ST. LOUIS and PARIS -

Enterprise Holdings is broadening its existing operations in Europe, having recently struck a deal with PSA Peugeot Citroen to purchase its rental subsidiary, Citer SA and its Spanish subsidiary Atesa.

This augments the presence Enterprise already has in Europe, as its Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand operates in the U.K., Germany and Ireland.

Now, the rental giant can add France and Spain to that list. The company’s first foray into Europe was in 1994.

“With no overlap or duplication to our current operations in Europe, this will be a great strategic fit,” stated Enterprise Holdings chairman and chief executive Andrew Taylor. “The more than 1,000 employees at Citer and Atesa have built successful rental car operations in France and Spain, and we look forward to the prospect of welcoming them to our team.”

Taylor added: “It’s also important to note that more and more of our customers are asking us to expand our footprint in Europe. Joining forces with Citer responds to those travelers’ needs and opens up new markets that are highly complementary to our existing European operations. Over the years we’ve learned that when we listen to our customers, they lead us to opportunities, and this certainly is one of those opportunities.”

President and chief operating officer Pam Nicholson delved into the company’s prior endeavors in buying companies and integrating them into Enterprise: “After we acquired the Alamo and National brands in 2007, we took our time to leverage the collective expertise and get the integration process right. We intend to use the same careful and disciplined approach to ensure that local and airport car rental customers in France and Spain likewise benefit from a well-integrated, thoughtful and disciplined long-term strategy."