Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc.

The company was founded in 1947, in the village of Ashtead, Surrey, as Ashtead Plant and Tool Hire. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1986 and acquired an American plant hire business, Sunbelt Rentals, in 1990.

In September 2018, the company appointed Paul Walker as non-executive chairman of its board.

In November 2018, it was announced that Geoff Drabble would retire as CEO after twelve years on 1 May 2019, and would be succeeded by Brendan Horgan, the Group Chief Operations Officer and chief executive of the company's North American business.

In June 2022, the company's main operating subsidiary, was announced as an investor in lithium-ion battery developer Britishvolt. After Britishvolt went into administration in January 2023, the company took a £35m hit from its collapse.

In December 2024, the company announced plans to move its primary stock market listing from London to the US. It said the US was a "natural long term listing venue" because most of the group's profit came from North America, and its leadership, most of its 25,000 employees and its operational headquarters were all in the US. Following approval from shareholders, the court approved the creation of a new US holding company, Sunbelt Rentals Inc, in February 2026.