Britannia AuctionsComplete site dispersal auctions in Swansea
The Enterprise Park mixes factories, warehouses, trade counters and yards on the same roads, and the sites we clear there reflect it. A firm that made components for the metals trade has a machine shop at the back, a warehouse in the middle, a counter at the front and a yard round the side, with stock for all of them. When it closes, each part has its own buyer, and one catalogue has to speak to all of them.
We list the site in full, from the CNC lathes to the counter display, and sell it as one online timed auction with a viewing day on the premises. Buyers pay us and collect in an agreed window. We settle once the sale is reconciled and the funds have cleared.
Llansamlet and Fforestfach sit a few minutes from the M4 junctions, and we check what each yard and door takes before listing.
Counter stock and machine tools want different buyers
A trade counter sells by the shelf. Fixings, consumables, hand tools and the display units they sit on are lotted so a buyer with a van can take a run of shelving and its contents in one go, and counters in Gorseinon, Llanelli, Neath and Ammanford are an easy drive from a viewing day. Warehouse racking is lotted by the run with the bay count and beam sizes stated, and the buyer dismantles it.
The machine shop is where the value concentrates. Lathes, mills, machining centres, saws and the compressor are single lots with their tooling, and the metals and fabrication firms towards Port Talbot are close by. Welding plant and lifting gear from the same site are lotted alongside them.
We keep the parts separate in the catalogue so a bidder can find what they want without reading lots that do not concern them. The offices go in last.
Checking the route out before the lots are listed
Most Swansea estates were laid out for lorries, but the collection plan still comes from what we measure. On the Enterprise Park, at Fforestfach and on the newer units on Fabian Way we check vehicle access and the turning circle, the door openings and the floor levels, and the lot notes say what each heavy item needs to come out. The M4 is minutes away from most of them.
The older units in the centre and near the docks often have a shared yard or parking across the approach. We walk the route before listing and put any restriction in the lot notes.
Collection runs in an order we agree with you. Vehicles and forklifts usually go early because they need no lifting, counter stock and racking follow by van, and the heavy plant is booked around them, with disconnection by qualified people and a method statement agreed before each lift. Offices and the canteen come at the end, and the building is left swept.
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 Swansea
- We have a lot of slow moving stock at the counter. Is it worth selling or should we skip it?
Sell it. Slow stock at retail prices is still stock at auction prices, and other counters and contractors buy it by the shelf when it is lotted sensibly. It costs you nothing to include and it leaves by van during the collection window rather than going to a skip. We photograph a sample of each lot and list the quantity, and we group it so no single lot is too big for a van.
- Our landlord wants the unit back in five weeks. Is that enough for a site with a machine shop?
Five weeks can work, depending on the number of lots, the access and how quickly buyers pay. We catalogue in the first week, run the bidding for about two weeks and use the remaining time for collection, with heavy plant booked for the first days of the window. If the timing gets tight we can collect the smaller lots and sell them from our own premises, where that is agreed, leaving only the machines on site. Talk to the landlord early about the dilapidations.
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.