Britannia AuctionsBusiness closure auctions in Nottingham
Wholesale closures are common on this side of the city. A cash and carry at Lenton Lane or a distributor at Colwick decides to stop, and what is left is a shed of pallet racking, a chiller, a cage of stock in date and a cage of stock that is not, and two vans. Pharmaceutical and lab businesses around Beeston close with a different list, clean room fit outs, fume cupboards, calibrated instruments and stainless benching, and they are harder to price.
We handle both. The sale runs online for a week or two with a viewing day at the premises, and the ring road makes it easy for buyers from Derby, Mansfield, Newark and Long Eaton to view and then collect. We agree the empty date with you first, and plan the sale so that collection finishes a few days before it.
Fill in the contact form with the date and a rough list.
Lab kit and clean rooms need a different catalogue
A forklift describes itself. A centrifuge, an incubator, a freeze dryer or a laminar flow cabinet does not, so those lots need more in the catalogue. We record the model, the calibration status, the last service date and whether the item has been decontaminated, and we photograph the data plate. The trades that use this kit are other labs, universities, dealers and new businesses fitting out, and bidding is online and open across the UK.
Clean room panels and pass throughs are lotted, but they come down slowly and leave a mess, so we usually agree a late slot for them. Fume cupboards need the extract disconnected by a competent person before collection, and buyers never disconnect services themselves.
Anything with a controlled substance history or product residue must be cleaned and certified before we list it. Tell us early if that applies, because it affects the timetable.
Wholesale stock sold by the pallet
A wholesaler's closure is a stock sale first and a fittings sale second. We walk the aisles and lot the stock by line, so that a competitor from Derby or Mansfield can buy the whole run of one product, and we note best before dates in every description so that nobody is surprised. Stock that is out of date is either disposed of or sold clearly marked, depending on what it is.
The fittings follow. Racking is lotted by the bay, chillers and cold rooms by the unit, and the checkouts, trolleys, cages and counters as they are. Vans and the yard forklift go in the same sale.
We check when we walk the site what size vehicle can reach the bay at Blenheim near junction 26 or on Lenton Lane, and the catalogue says so, because a buyer taking a full pallet lot sends a lorry and a smaller buyer arrives in a van. The collection days are then planned to keep the two apart so that the bay is never blocked.
What these sales can include
- Production machinery
- Finished goods and raw materials
- Warehouse racking
- Forklifts and handling equipment
- Vans, trucks and trailers
- Office furniture and computers
- Workshop tools and benches
- Compressors and site services
- Catering equipment
- Retail fittings and display units
- Vehicle lifts
- Packaging machinery
How we run the sale
We visit, agree the scope and catalogue the lots on site. Everything from the main machines down to the contents of the stores can be included. Small items are grouped into sensible lots so that nothing is left behind.
The sale runs online as a timed auction. Bidders register, view the lots on a set viewing day at your premises, and bid until the closing time. Lots close in sequence, and a late bid extends the closing time on that lot.
Buyers pay the hammer price plus the buyer's premium, with VAT charged where it applies and shown separately on the invoice. They pay us, and you are paid once the sale is reconciled and the collection window has closed, from cleared funds. The auction terms set out what happens if a buyer does not pay or collect. The details for your sale are explained when we discuss it.
The business closure auctions page covers closure sales and the pressure of the date, who needs to agree before you sell, stock, records and the things people forget, collection, clearance and the empty building, when a closure sale is not the answer.
Questions about selling in Nottingham
- We have stock close to its best before date. Is it worth putting in the sale?
Usually yes, if the sale can close and collection happen before the date passes. We put the date in the lot description and let the buyer decide. Short dated stock suits discount traders and market operators who can move it quickly. Anything already past its date is not listed, and we help you separate it early so that the catalogue is clean. The timetable is set with those dates in mind.
- Our lab equipment has been in contact with product. Can it still go in the sale?
It can, once it has been decontaminated and you can say so in writing. We will not list an item that may carry residue, because the buyer and our staff handle it on collection day. Most labs have a decommissioning procedure and a record of cleaning. Give us that record and we quote it in the lot description. If cleaning is not practical, the item is disposed of rather than sold.
More questions about closure auctions
Related services
Guides
- Closing a business: a timeline for selling the assets
Work backwards from the day you hand the site over. This guide covers lease end and dilapidations, when to instruct, when staff should leave, when to keep the power on, and how to leave enough room for collection and making good.