Case Study: Kennards Hire achieves Australia’s first ‘live‑hire’ omnichannel rental site and 150 rentals in 30 days with Adobe Commerce

How rental business Kennards Hire re-tooled with Adobe

Kennards Hire, founded in 1948 and operating 162 branches across Australia and New Zealand, needed to modernize its 70-year-old equipment rental business for the Internet age. The company sought a flexible e-commerce solution to replace paper forms, support both consumer and commercial customers (who use contractual hire agreements), and integrate location-specific inventory across hundreds of stores to enable a true omnichannel “click-and-collect” experience.

Working with eWave and powered by Adobe Commerce, Kennards launched Australia’s first “live hire” site in June 2016 after a four-month beta, featuring postcode-driven, real-time inventory, online contract handling, payments, invoices and delivery or branch pickup. The platform unified 162 branches into a seamless omnichannel service and drove immediate adoption—150 hires in the first 30 days—effectively transforming Kennards into an e-commerce company.

Kennards Hire

Theo Triantafillides

Chief Commercial Officer