Britannia AuctionsComplete site dispersal auctions in Glasgow
Glasgow is the biggest industrial market in Scotland, and the sites we are asked about reflect it. An engineering works at Hillington, a fabrication shop at Queenslie, a depot at Clydesmill or a packaging plant on the Clyde Gateway sits within easy reach of the trade in Paisley, East Kilbride, Motherwell and Cumbernauld, with bidding online and open to bidders anywhere in the UK.
We catalogue the whole site, machine shop, stores, yard and offices, and sell it as one online timed auction. Buyers pay us and collect in an agreed window, and we attend while the buyers' riggers and van drivers empty the building.
The estates around the motorway network sit close to their junctions, but the access is still checked unit by unit before the heavy lots are listed.
Machine shops and fabrication bays draw the Scottish trade
An engineering site at Hillington holds the plant the rest of the Scottish trade wants. Machining centres, lathes, grinders, saws, welding sets, a press brake and the overhead crane over the fabrication bay. We sell each machine as a single lot with its tooling and accessories and describe controls, capacities, hours and tooling so a buyer in Coatbridge or Airdrie can bid without a second visit. Inspection equipment and the tool room go in as separate lots because a different buyer wants them.
Food and packaging plants on the east side are a different sale. Stainless steel process kit, filling and packing lines, conveyors and refrigeration are catalogued for a UK wide food trade, and most of it is sized for a van or a curtain sider.
Vehicle workshops and depots add lifts, tyre equipment, diagnostic kit and the vans in the yard, which the motor trade around the city is well placed to bid for.
What the route out is worth to a bid
Hillington sits at junction 26 of the M8, Queenslie beside the M8 in the east, Clydesmill off the M74 and the Clyde Gateway units close to the M74 near the city. Where a low loader can reach the door, the rigging cost is lower, and that is one of the factors in a bid. It is a question we answer when we walk the site rather than from the address, by measuring the approach and the turning room, the loading facilities, the door openings and the floor levels. Buyers organise and pay for their own removal, working to a method statement agreed before the day, with disconnection by qualified people, and we agree the order of the window with you.
The older units in Clydebank and Rutherglen and along the river can be tighter, and where a crane has to stand on the road we say so in the lot notes.
Plant from a Glasgow sale travels. Machines go south to the north of England and beyond, and the rail freight terminal at Mossend and the ports are used for the ones going further.
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 Glasgow
- The site is being folded into our other works in Lanarkshire. Can you value what we should keep?
Yes. Before we catalogue we walk the site with you and give a view on what each main machine would fetch at auction, so you can weigh that against the cost of moving it and the space it takes at the other works. Anything you keep is tagged and left out of the sale. The rule is that the list is fixed before the viewing, because buyers bid on what they saw and a withdrawn lot is a complaint.
- Will a Glasgow sale attract buyers from outside Scotland?
Yes. Bids are placed online and the sale is open to buyers anywhere in the UK and overseas. The trade in Paisley, Hamilton, Motherwell and Airdrie is near enough to view in person, which suits the conventional machinery, racking, forklifts and workshop kit. For the larger and more specialised lots the removal cost matters more than the distance, and we set that out in the lot notes so a buyer anywhere can price it before bidding.
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.