British rental chain Speedy Hire is placing 2.13 million shares on the market in an effort to raise about U.S. $26.8 million to pursue its bolt-on acquisition and greenfield startup expansion strategy, the company said last week.

Speedy’s volume increased 24 percent for the past five months, company officials said.

Founded in 1977, Speedy Hire has about 300 branches in the United Kingdom. During the past 14 months, Speedy has completed seven acquisitions for about U.S. $60 million, which it financed from existing resources.