Hertz’s debt binge has made the firm more brittle than ever
In the decade preceding its collapse, Hertz took on too much debt, participated in overpriced M&A and was accused of playing accounting games to pad its earnings
26 May 2020 - 16:26
From the customer’s perspective, car rental is a straightforward business. The only uncertainty is whether the hire company will charge you for the scratch they discover when you hand back the vehicle.
Hertz’s bankruptcy protection filing on Friday was a reminder that today even the simplest business models are underpinned by a lot more financial complexity than meets the eye. Rather than make the rental giant more robust, financial engineering seems to have made Hertz more brittle. ..
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