Britannia AuctionsComplete site dispersal auctions in Nottingham
Sites in Nottingham come to us for dispersal for the usual reasons, a closure, a merger or a move to a newer unit, and they are a mixed bag. An engineering shop in Beeston with machine tools and a crane. A print works on Lenton Lane with presses and finishing kit. A pharmaceutical or laboratory site with clean room fittings, fume cupboards and test equipment. A distribution shed at Blenheim near junction 26 with racking to the roof and a fleet of forklifts.
Whatever the site holds, the method is the same. Everything is catalogued, the site is viewed on one day, and the lot is sold in one online timed auction with an agreed collection window after the close.
The ring road is useful here. Moving between Lenton, Colwick and Bulwell is quick, which helps when a viewing day has to suit people coming from across the city.
Lotting a laboratory or clean room site
Nottingham has more pharmaceutical and laboratory sites than most cities its size, and clearing one is not like clearing a machine shop. The value is spread across hundreds of smaller items. Analytical instruments, balances, centrifuges, incubators and fridges. Fume cupboards and laminar flow cabinets. Stainless steel benching, clean room panels and pass through hatches. Lab furniture and glassware by the cupboard.
We lot this carefully. Instruments sell as single lots with the model and serial photographed. Glassware, consumables and benching sell in groups sized for a van. This kit is catalogued for universities, contract labs and instrument dealers, with bidding online and open to the rest of the country, so the listing has to do the work that a viewing does for a press.
Collection is lighter than on an engineering site. Most lots are sized for a van or a tail lift lorry, while the fume cupboards and fixed benching need disconnection by qualified people and a crew that the buyer arranges.
Machine shops and sheds on the M1 side
The heavier dispersals sit at Beeston and in the estates near junctions 24 to 27. An engineering site brings CNC lathes and machining centres, presses, welding bays, a compressor house and an overhead crane, and the trade in Derby, Mansfield, Ilkeston, Long Eaton and Loughborough is near enough to come and see the lots, with bidding online. Access is measured unit by unit before anything heavy is listed, and the A52 and A453 put a loaded wagon on the M1 quickly.
A distribution shed dispersal is mostly racking, forklifts and dock equipment. The racking sells by the run to buyers who strip it themselves, the forklifts need no lifting to remove, which keeps that part simple, and the dock levellers and shelters go with the building unless the landlord agrees otherwise.
On both kinds of site we agree the order with you, usually the heavy lifts first, then the racking crews, then the vans, which keeps the yard workable.
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 Nottingham
- Our lease at Lenton Lane ends in five weeks. Is that enough time for a full site sale?
It is tight but workable if we start now. A week to catalogue, ten days to two weeks of bidding, and the rest for collection, depending on the number of lots and the access. What we would not do is run the auction so close to the lease end that a delayed rigger puts you in breach. If the site is large or the plant is heavy, it may be better to speak to the landlord about a short extension for collection, which is easier to ask for with a firm date in hand.
- The clean room panels and fume cupboards are fixed to the building. Are they ours to sell?
Usually yes, if you installed them and the lease treats them as tenant's fixtures, but we ask you to check the lease before we list them. Some landlords want them left in place, and some want them removed and the fabric made good. Once that is settled we sell them as lots with a clear note on removal, and the buyer's crew takes them out under a method we approve. The same applies to compressed air lines, extraction and any mezzanine.
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.