Britannia AuctionsBusiness relocation and downsizing sales in Birmingham
A power press is the classic Birmingham relocation problem. It has sat on a foundation in a Tyseley or Witton works for thirty years, it still runs, and the new unit near the M42 has a floor that was not poured for it. Moving it means a rigger, a crane, a low loader and a new foundation at the other end. Selling it means a collection window and a settlement once the sale is reconciled.
We run relocation and downsizing sales for pressings and finishing shops, automotive suppliers, food manufacturers and logistics firms across the city. You tell us which machines are going to the new site. We catalogue the rest in place, sell them by online auction and manage collection after your move.
The sale can run while the shop is still producing, which matters when the move date is fixed by a customer contract rather than a lease.
Selling the press rather than moving it
A press over about a hundred tonnes is worth a hard look if the new floor needs work. The cost of a foundation, a power supply, a guard survey and recommissioning can come to more than the machine would fetch, and that comparison is what we put in front of you before the catalogue is written. The same goes for large guillotines, plating lines, overhead cranes and spot welding cells with fixed extraction. Smaller presses and fly presses move easily and usually go with you.
We photograph each machine running where we can and note the tooling that goes with it. Press tooling is grouped with the machine it fits rather than scattered through the catalogue. If a single large press is worth more than the rest of the sale put together, we can offer it by private treaty instead of putting it in the auction.
Getting large lots out of an inner city yard
Access is measured on the first visit, at Aston and Saltley as much as at Minworth or junction 6 of the M42. We check what vehicle can reach the door, whether there is room to turn, what the loading facilities are, how wide the doors are and where a crane could stand. The findings go in the lot descriptions so buyers know before they bid, and collection slots are staggered so that one heavy vehicle is on the road at a time. A firm end date is set so the landlord gets the site back clean.
Buyers book and pay for the removal of their lots, including specialist movers for heavy plant. We agree the window and the order with you, attend the collection days and release lots against paid invoices. Bidding is online and open to bidders well beyond the area, and the trade in West Bromwich, Walsall, Dudley and Solihull is well placed to come and look before bidding closes along the M6 and M42.
What these sales can include
- CNC machine tools
- Presses and press brakes
- Racking and mezzanine floors
- Forklift trucks
- Air compressors
- Workshop tooling and hand tools
- Office furniture and desks
- IT equipment and servers
- Packing and labelling machines
- Welding equipment
- Extraction and dust collection systems
- Vans and light commercial vehicles
How the sale runs
We visit the site, list the lots and photograph them in place. You tell us which items are moving and which are for sale, and we tag the sale lots so there is no confusion on the shop floor.
The catalogue goes online as a timed auction. Bidding stays open for a set period, usually one to two weeks, and each lot closes at a fixed time with an extension if a bid arrives in the last minutes. We hold a viewing day at your premises, and lots are offered as seen under the auction terms, with buyers expected to inspect first.
After the sale we invoice the buyers and take payment. You are paid once the sale is reconciled and the collection window has closed, from cleared funds, less the agreed commission and any agreed costs. Buyers arrange and pay for removal, and our staff attend to release lots against paid invoices.
The business relocation and downsizing sales page covers when a relocation sale makes sense, timing the sale around the move, what to prepare, valuation and reserves, unsold lots and leftovers.
Questions about selling in Birmingham
- The new unit is not ready and the old lease ends first. Can you take the machines away?
Yes, where that is the better route. If the dates do not line up we can collect the sale lots and sell them from our own premises, which clears the old site on time and takes the viewing day off your shop floor. It suits smaller machines, tooling and office equipment. A large press is usually simpler sold in place with a fixed collection window, because the buyer's own rigger takes it from where it stands. Which route we propose depends on the lots, the premises and the timetable.
- We are downsizing from three units on one estate to one. Do we need three sales?
No. One catalogue covers all three units, with each lot marked by building so buyers know where to collect. We run one viewing day and one collection window across the estate. If the units hand back on different dates, we can stage the collection so each building is cleared in order. The lots you are keeping are tagged on the day of our visit, which saves arguments on the shop floor later.
More questions about relocation sales
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.
- Selling a commercial vehicle fleet
Fleet sales turn on paperwork as much as on price. This guide covers the V5C, MOT and plating documents, clearing finance before listing, keys and livery, recording mileage and tachograph data, and how to defleet in batches while still trading.