Britannia AuctionsBusiness retirement auctions in Liverpool
Haulage and warehousing yards around the port hold a row of trucks, a workshop and a shed full of racking. If you are retiring and selling those assets rather than the company, the sale covers the vehicles, the workshop and the yard equipment rather than a customer list, because the customers tend to follow the drivers.
We run retirement auctions for exactly this. Tractor units, rigids, trailers, vans, forklifts, the workshop equipment, the racking in the warehouse and the office all go into one online timed sale. We catalogue in your yard, hold a viewing day, and supervise collection in a fixed window. You are paid once collection and cleared funds are through.
Bidding is online and open to operators across the UK, and the trade in St Helens, Warrington, Widnes and across the water in Birkenhead is well placed for the viewing day. Use the contact form and tell us what is in the yard.
Haulage yards and the kit that goes with them
A haulage business at the end of its life is more than the vehicles. There is a workshop with a vehicle lift, a compressor, jacks, tyre equipment and a pit full of spares. There is a fuel tank, a pressure washer, a bunded oil store and a yard shunter that has never been on the road. There is racking in the shed, a couple of forklifts, pallet trucks and an office of desks and screens.
All of it is worth cataloguing. Workshop equipment and forklifts suit a wide range of trades and move easily, which keeps their removal simple. Vehicles are bid on against the mileage, the MOT, the tachograph calibration and the service file, so we photograph all of that and put it in the catalogue.
Warehousing businesses in Knowsley and Speke are the other regular sale. Racking, mezzanines, conveyors and forklifts, plus whatever stock is left.
Vehicles, trailers and the finance question
Most fleets have something on finance, hire purchase or lease. That vehicle belongs to the funder until the agreement is settled and can only be sold where they agree, so it is the first thing we ask about, because it decides what goes in the catalogue. Where they agree, the settlement figure is usually paid from the proceeds, and answers take time, so the earlier we know the better.
Vehicles you own outright are straightforward. We need the V5C, the MOT history, the plating certificate and the service records for each, and the keys on collection day. Trailers need their test certificates. Anything with a defect is described as it is, because a buyer who finds out later will not bid next time.
Collection is planned from what the yard allows. We check the gate, the turning space and the hard standing when we first visit, note the route in from the M57 or the M62, and say in the catalogue what the older dockside roads will take, so buyers bring the right vehicle.
What these sales can include
- Workshop machinery
- Hand and power tools
- Vans and company vehicles
- Trade stock and consumables
- Racking and storage
- Forklifts and pallet trucks
- Office furniture and IT
- Welding and fabrication equipment
- Compressors and generators
- Vehicle lifts and garage equipment
- Catering and canteen equipment
- Signage and shop fittings
How the sale runs
It starts with a conversation. We ask what you have, where it is, and when you need it gone. Then we visit, walk the premises with you and agree which items are included.
We catalogue the lots on site. Each lot gets a description, photographs and, where relevant, a serial number and condition note. The catalogue goes online and the auction is marketed to buyers in the trade.
Most sales run as online timed auctions. Bidding is open for a set period, usually a week or two, with a viewing day at your premises before it closes. Buyers pay us, then collect their lots during the collection window. We account to you once the sale is reconciled, buyers have paid and the collection window has closed, from cleared funds.
The business retirement auctions page covers when an auction is the right route, what you need to prepare, values, reserves and what the buyer pays, collection day and unsold lots, other routes and when we suggest them.
Questions about selling in Liverpool
- Should the trucks go through a dedicated vehicle auction rather than with the rest of the yard?
Sometimes. A large fleet of late vehicles can justify a dedicated vehicle sale, and we will say so if that is the case. Where there are a few trucks and trailers alongside a workshop and a warehouse, one catalogue is usually simpler for you and for the buyers, because bidding is online and the whole sale sits in one place. Either way the vehicles are described with their mileage, MOT, tachograph calibration and service history. We give you a view on both routes before you commit.
- The yard has to be cleared of everything including the fuel tank and the portable buildings. Is that possible?
Yes, though those lots need a note in the catalogue. A fuel tank is sold empty and the buyer removes it, which means you arrange for the residue to be pumped out and disposed of before collection day. Portable buildings and containers are lifted onto a lorry by the buyer's contractor, so we agree a slot in the collection window when the yard has room for it. Whatever remains unsold at the end, we discuss with you and either re-offer it or, where agreed, arrange disposal.
More questions about retirement auctions
Related services
Guides
- Auction or private treaty: which route to choose
Auction gives you a fixed date and an open market. Private treaty gives you a negotiated price and privacy. This guide sets out when each route suits, what you give up with each, and why many sales use both.