Britannia AuctionsComplete site dispersal auctions in Bristol
Bristol sites come in two kinds. On the north fringe around Filton, the aerospace supply chain leaves behind machining centres, five axis mills, coordinate measuring machines, autoclaves and clean room kit when a firm loses its place on a programme. Out at Avonmouth and Severnside it is warehouses, with racking to the roof, a fleet of forklifts, a packing line and a mezzanine office. In between, on St Philips Marsh or at Brislington, older engineering and print units sit on streets that were never meant for a low loader.
A site dispersal sells everything on the premises in one online timed auction. We catalogue on site, hold the viewing there and manage the buyers as they collect, so you get an empty building and a single settlement.
Which kind of site you have decides how we plan the removal, and that is where we start.
Aerospace grade machining plant has a national trade
Precision machining and inspection equipment from the north fringe sells beyond the region. Bidding on a five axis machining centre, a coordinate measuring machine or a hardness tester is online and open to bidders across the country and overseas. We describe these lots in detail, with controls, travels, hours and calibration history, because a buyer may bid without visiting. Composites plant, autoclaves, ovens, cutting tables and freezers, has a narrower audience and is described accordingly.
Smaller lots follow. Tooling by the drawer, and fixtures and jigs that are general purpose rather than part specific. Approval paperwork and calibration certificates stay with the items they belong to.
The machining trade in Yate, Thornbury, Keynsham and Nailsea is well placed to come and look before bidding closes, and the conventional lathes, mills, grinders and saws are the lots it usually looks at.
What the access check changes about the collection plan
An Avonmouth or Cabot Park warehouse holds racking, forklifts, pallet wrappers and dock levellers, with the M5 and M49 next door. The access check there is about yard space, dock heights and how many vehicles can be on site at once. Racking is lotted by the run and the buyer dismantles it. A week is a normal collection window for a shed, depending on the number of lots.
St Philips Marsh and the older parts of Brislington are another matter. Some units back onto narrow streets with parked cars and little yard, and where a crane has to stand on the road a permit is needed. We say that in the lot notes and book the lift for a quiet time.
The general plant trade in Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Portishead and Clevedon is well placed to come and look before bidding closes. Bidding is online and open across the south west, South Wales and the rest of the UK, and the distribution kit is listed for a national audience.
What these sales can include
- Complete production lines
- CNC lathes and machining centres
- Presses, guillotines and folders
- Overhead cranes and hoists
- Compressors and air receivers
- Forklift trucks
- Racking and storage systems
- Tooling, spares and consumables
- Inspection and test equipment
- Welding and fabrication equipment
- Office furniture and IT equipment
- Canteen and welfare equipment
- Vehicles and trailers
The auction
The sale runs as an online timed auction, open for bidding for a fixed period with a viewing day at the site before the close. Lots close in sequence, and a late bid extends the closing time for that lot so nobody is beaten by the clock. Bidders register online, and the sale is advertised to the trade for that type of equipment.
Lots are offered as seen under the auction terms, and buyers are expected to inspect before bidding. The buyer pays the hammer price plus a buyer's premium, with VAT charged where it applies and shown separately on the invoice. Once paid, the buyer collects within the agreed window. Our staff are on site throughout collection to check off each lot and control access.
For very large sites the sale may be split into two or more auctions, so the building empties in stages and production can continue in one area while another is cleared.
The complete site dispersal auctions page covers what a site dispersal involves, preparing the site, removal and heavy lifting, timescales and what to expect.
Questions about selling in Bristol
- Our machines are on a customer approved list and the customer wants first refusal. Can we do that within an auction?
Yes. The customer can buy any lot before the sale opens by private treaty at a price we agree with you, and we withdraw it from the catalogue. Anything they do not take goes to auction as normal. What we ask is that the decision is made before the viewing day, because withdrawing lots after buyers have seen them causes complaints. A short deadline for the customer usually gets an answer.
- The lease on our Avonmouth shed ends on a quarter day. Can you have it empty by then?
Usually, if we have five to six weeks, though it depends on how many lots there are and the access. Cataloguing a warehouse is quick, bidding normally runs about two weeks, and a week suits racking and forklifts. We set the auction close far enough ahead of the quarter day for collection to finish and the floor to be swept. If the date is tighter, the contents can be moved to our own premises for sale, where that is agreed, which takes the deadline out of it.
More questions about site dispersals
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.
- 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.
- What insolvency practitioners need from an auctioneer
For office holders realising physical assets. Covers the instruction letter, the asset schedule and valuation basis, retention of title, finance checks, site security, health and safety during the sale, and the reconciliation you need for the file.