(Reuters) - Car rental company Hertz Global Holdings Inc (>> Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.) said it would spin off its equipment rental business for $2.5 billion (£1.50 billion).

The division, Hertz Equipment Rental Corp, provides a wide range of rental equipment from small tools to heavy earthmoving equipment.

Hertz said part of the proceeds would be used to fund a newly approved $1 billion share repurchase program.

The company said it expects the separation, which will be through a tax-free distribution to shareholders, to close by early 2015.

(Reporting by Mridhula Raghavan in Bangalore; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

Stocks treated in this article : Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., Expedia Inc