HSS Hire chief Chris Davies powers up to lift a bigger load

Chris Davies knew he was on the right track when he got a call from Radio 4. They wanted him to star in a new television show. This was the big time.

“It was this programme called The Undercover Boss and the guy went on about how I would wander around the company, spotting problems and not being recognised. I had to stop him after about five minutes and point out a flaw – in the first depot I went into, the first person I saw would have said 'hello Chris, how you doing?’ Thinking about the concept of the programme, it’s pretty telling of those organisations that take part. I would be mortified if people didn’t recognise me. ”

He might not have got to enjoy his 60 seconds of fame but Davies is upbeat as he sits in the boardroom of HSS Hire’s headquarters a few miles from Heathrow. The rain is lashing down outside in the resolutely uninspiring business park, pinging off HSS’s forklift trucks and heavy loaders, but Davies seems happy someone’s come to visit his “big small company”.

With the economic recovery as dreary as the weather, HSS is in surprisingly good health. The privately owned hire company, which specialises in providing machinery and tools for commercial customers, posted a 12pc increase in like-for-like sales in the three months to April and unlike some competitors is firmly in growth mode.

Such has been the turnaround – five consecutive quarters of like-for-like sales growth – that speculation about a potential sale or flotation is growing steadily.