Britannia AuctionsComplete site dispersal auctions in Warrington
Warrington sits on the M6 and M62 crossing. The trade in Liverpool and Manchester, in St Helens and Wigan to the north and Northwich and Knutsford to the south, is within easy reach of a viewing day, and Woolston Grange and Appleton Thorn are minutes from a motorway. A short road out keeps a rigging quote down, and that is one of the factors in a bid.
The sites are varied. Fabrication and engineering shops leave presses, rolls, welding plant and overhead cranes. Vehicle and trailer businesses leave lifts, brake testers, tyre equipment and a yard of units. Process plant from the chemical side of town has its own rules. We catalogue the whole site, run one online timed auction and manage the buyers through an agreed collection window.
Process plant needs a clean certificate before a bid
Vessels, pumps, heat exchangers and pipework from a chemical or energy site are sold on the basis that they have been decontaminated, and a buyer will want to see the certificate. We ask for that before the catalogue is written, and where it does not exist the cleaning and testing can be arranged and the cost set against the sale, where that is agreed. Plant that has held hazardous material and cannot be cleaned is listed as such or kept out. Instrumentation, control panels, analysers and laboratory equipment from the same sites are lotted separately and are sized for a van.
Fabrication plant is simpler. Press brakes, guillotines, section rolls and welding sets are lotted for shops across the North West, and an overhead crane is usually agreed as the last lot so that it is available while the heavy machines come out. Vehicle workshop equipment suits garages and fleet operators in Widnes, Runcorn, Leigh and Altrincham.
Sheds at Omega and older yards by the canal
The distribution sheds at Omega and around Gemini and Winwick Quay are straightforward to plan. Racking comes down by the run once the forklifts have left, handling kit needs no lifting to remove, and the yard and dock capacity are confirmed when we walk the site. Two weeks of collection suits most sheds, depending on the number of lots.
The older estates near the Ship Canal are slower. Yards are tighter, some doors were built for a rigid lorry rather than an artic, and a machine that came in on a crane thirty years ago may need one to leave. We walk the route with the heavy lots in mind, note the weight, the foundations, the services and the way out for each one, and put that in the catalogue so the buyer's rigger can quote before the sale closes. A method statement is agreed before any lift, and disconnection is by qualified people.
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 Warrington
- Our engineering firm at Birchwood did work for the nuclear industry. Does any of the equipment need special handling?
Usually not, but we check. Most workshop plant from a nuclear engineering supplier is ordinary machinery and test equipment that has never been near a licensed site. Anything that has, or that carries a customer's markings, drawings, fixtures or data, is identified at the first visit and either returned to the customer or held until its status is confirmed. If a monitoring certificate is needed for a lot we obtain it before listing, so a buyer bids knowing what they are getting.
- We have a yard full of trailers and a few tractor units as well as the workshop. Is that one sale or two?
One sale. The trailers and units are listed as individual lots in the same catalogue as the workshop plant, with photographs, plating dates and mileages, and they close in the same sequence. Hauliers and trailer dealers along both motorways are close enough to walk the lots on the viewing day, and the units leave under their own wheels or on a transporter. Anything on finance, hire purchase or lease belongs to the funder until it is settled and can only be sold with their agreement, which we deal with before the catalogue goes live.
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.