11077 Van Hire or Purchase? what is the best option?

With the falling value of sterling we have decided that we will need to bring furniture to Italy rather than purchase locally which is a shame as we would really like to help the local shops, anyway I digress.

I need to work out what is the better option, to hire and drive down/back or to purchase a van. With this in mind can anyone recommend a good van hire company based in SE UK?