Catering and hospitality equipment auctions in Sunderland

Catering equipment for businesses in Sunderland and the surrounding Tyne and Wear area, including Washington, Houghton-le-Spring, Seaham, South Shields. We catalogue and sell on your premises, so nothing has to be moved before the sale.

Restaurants, cafes, hotels, pubs and contract kitchens close or change hands all the time. What is left is a kitchen full of stainless steel, refrigeration and cooking equipment, and a front of house full of tables and chairs.

We sell catering and hospitality equipment by online timed auction, usually from the premises. Buyers are other operators and dealers who know what a good range or a walk in cold room is worth. Use the contact form to tell us about the site and when it has to be empty.

What these sales usually include

Cooking ranges and ovens
Combination ovens
Fryers and griddles
Cold rooms and walk in freezers
Upright and under counter refrigeration
Display and serve over counters
Dishwashers and glasswashers
Ice machines
Espresso machines and grinders
Stainless steel tables and sinks
Extraction canopies
Bar equipment and beer coolers
Tables, chairs and banquette seating
Tills and till systems

What a catering sale looks like

A typical sale covers everything from the extraction canopy to the coffee cups. The heavy cooking equipment (ranges, fryers, grills, combination ovens) makes up most of the value. Refrigeration comes next: upright fridges and freezers, under counter units, cold rooms and display cabinets. Then dishwashers, glasswashers, ice machines and coffee machines.

Stainless steel tables, sinks, shelving and wall benching sell as lots. Front of house furniture, bar equipment, tills, glassware, crockery and cutlery are lotted in groups so that buyers can bid on quantities.

We can also include the things that surprise vendors: the beer line cooling system, the outdoor furniture, the wine stock (with the right licence checks) and the fixtures a landlord has agreed can go.

Disconnecting services and extraction

Gas appliances must be disconnected by a registered gas engineer before collection, and the supply capped. Buyers are not permitted to disconnect gas themselves. We can arrange an engineer to attend on collection day, or you can have the work done in advance and the appliances left with the flexible connectors capped off.

Electrical equipment is isolated and disconnected by a competent person. Three phase items need particular care. Hard wired items must be disconnected before the buyer can remove them.

Extraction canopies, ducting and fans can be sold, but removal often leaves holes in walls and roofs. Check what your lease requires before we include them. Where the landlord wants the extraction left, we leave it out of the sale.

What your lease allows you to sell

Most catering businesses trade from leased premises, and the lease decides what you can sell. Fixtures that were installed by the landlord, or that the lease says must remain, are not yours to sell. Fixtures you installed can usually be removed, but the lease may require you to make good afterwards.

Get the landlord's written consent to the sale and the collection dates before we catalogue. This avoids a dispute on collection day, when a buyer is standing in front of a cold room with a van outside.

If you are facing a dilapidations claim, clearing the equipment and making good is often cheaper than leaving it for the landlord to deal with. Keep records of what was removed and by whom.

How the sale runs

We visit, agree what is in the sale and catalogue it. Each lot is photographed and described as it stands, with known faults noted. The sale is listed online and marketed to operators and dealers across the UK. Buyers view on a set day and bid online, with lots closing in sequence on the sale date.

All lots are sold as seen and without warranty. Buyers pay the hammer price plus a buyer's premium, and VAT on both where it applies. We take payment before anything is released.

Collection follows over an agreed window. Buyers remove their own lots, and we supervise so that services are dealt with correctly and the premises are left as agreed with the landlord.

Clean it, label it, leave it working

Buyers pay more for equipment that is clean and shown working. Before the viewing day, have the kitchen deep cleaned, or at least degreased. Empty and defrost fridges and freezers unless they are being sold with stock. Run the dishwasher and coffee machine so they can be demonstrated.

Keep the manuals, the service records and the keys for anything that locks. Note the date of the last gas safety check and the electrical inspection. Where a piece of equipment is on a lease or a rental agreement (coffee machines and ice machines often are), tell us so we can exclude it or arrange settlement.

Leave the utilities connected until collection is complete. A cold room that has been switched off for a fortnight smells like it.

Businesses in Sunderland

Sunderland has one of the largest car manufacturing sites in the country at Washington, with a battery plant next to it. Tier one and tier two suppliers for pressings, plastics, seating and trim are on the estates around it, along with tooling, automation and maintenance contractors. The port handles bulk cargo and offshore equipment. Main industrial areas include Pallion Industrial Estate, North Hylton, Sunderland Enterprise Park, Hylton Riverside, the Washington estates such as Pattinson, Armstrong and Glover, Rainton Bridge Business Park and the International Advanced Manufacturing Park.

The A19 runs north to south past the west of the city. The A1231 and A690 connect it to the A1(M) at Washington and Durham. Sunderland station is on the Durham Coast line and the Tyne and Wear Metro. The estates at Washington and Hylton have flat, wide roads and can take articulated lorries and low loaders.

We regularly handle catering equipment in Sunderland and across Tyne and Wear. Sales are run on site, with viewing and collection at your premises, and the online catalogue reaches buyers well beyond the area.

Questions people ask

Do you sell from the restaurant or take everything away?: We usually sell from the premises. The equipment is photographed where it stands, buyers view it there and collect it from there. This avoids the cost and risk of moving heavy items twice. Where the lease has already ended or the site is unsafe, we can move the contents to our premises and sell from there. Smaller quantities are often better added to one of our collective sales.
Who disconnects the gas and electrics?: Gas must be disconnected and capped by a registered gas engineer. Electrical disconnection must be done by a competent electrician. We can arrange both to attend on collection day, with the cost agreed in advance, or you can have the work done before the sale. Buyers do not disconnect services themselves. The catalogue makes clear which lots are still connected and how they will be released.
What about equipment that is leased or on hire?: It cannot be sold without the owner's agreement. Coffee machines, ice machines, water boilers and dishwashers are often on rental or lease agreements. Check the paperwork and tell us before we catalogue. We either exclude those items, or contact the finance company for a settlement figure and sell with their consent. Selling an item that belongs to someone else causes serious problems, so this is worth an hour of checking.
Does the landlord need to agree to the sale?: If the premises are leased, yes, in practice. The lease sets out which fixtures belong to the landlord and which you may remove. Get written confirmation that the sale and the collection dates are acceptable. This protects you if the landlord later claims for damage or missing fixtures, and it stops disputes at the door on collection day. We will ask to see the confirmation before we include fixed items.
How quickly can a kitchen be cleared?: Most catering sales run over two to three weeks from instruction to collection, faster if the premises are already closed and the paperwork is in order. The sale itself is usually a week online, followed by a collection window of a few days. Gas disconnection and landlord consent are the usual causes of delay, so sort those first. Tell us your deadline and we will plan backwards from it.

All questions people ask