There’s no shortage of ambition at Wicklow Hire, where owner Billy O’Reilly has opened a second depot in Arklow - a nearby town experiencing something of a development boom.
Although Arklow is roughly the same size as Wicklow, it has traditionally enjoyed a stronger manufacturing and maritime industry. Now, however, substantial investment in housing, data centres, renewable energy and associated infrastructure is creating fresh opportunities for the local construction sector.
Among the developments are Echelon's data centre project at Avoca River Park, further proposed data centre investment and SSE's offshore wind ambitions. Meanwhile, new wastewater infrastructure has helped unlock residential development that had previously been constrained.
For Billy, the opportunity was simply too good to ignore. "There was a huge gap there, so somebody was going to go in," he explains, pointing out that the town's existing hire provision was largely associated with a local builders' merchant.
Although the project formally got underway in March 2025, Billy admits that the ambition actually dates back further, having already considered Arklow when previously interviewed for the Executive Hire Show's Passionate Hirer Awards.
Suitable premises were identified around September/October 2025, followed by planning applications, change-of-use approvals and a comprehensive refurbishment.
The resulting depot occupies a former vehicle testing centre, comprising approximately 3,600 sq ft of buildings, a similarly sized external compound and generous parking facilities.
The premises have been transformed in Wicklow Hire's distinctive blue and yellow branding, with new mezzanine floors and a compact retail shop stocking tools, consumables and complementary products. There's also a smaller version of the company's established STIHL garden machinery store.
Significant investment has gone into the hire fleet, including new Kubota excavators, access equipment and compact plant. Battery-powered machinery is particularly prominent, accounting for approximately 50% of the Arklow fleet, compared with around 20% at Wicklow.
"We just decided to invest a higher percentage into battery," says Billy, highlighting Makita cordless tools and battery-powered equipment from Altrad Belle among the additions.
Recruitment has also been remarkably straightforward. Half the new depot's workforce comprises existing employees, with the remainder recruited externally. Incredibly, every new recruit approached Billy directly - indeed, the depot manager submitted his CV just one hour after the expansion was announced on social media!
Six weeks after opening, business is already developing nicely. Wicklow Hire is supplying contractors on the local data centre development and is involved in solar farm construction projects, with Billy anticipating further demand for specialist access equipment as work progresses.
