Britannia AuctionsLiquidation and insolvency asset sales in Liverpool
Freight is what most of Liverpool's industry does, and when a haulier, freight forwarder, container operator or warehouse business fails, the office holder inherits a fleet that is spread across the region and a shed at Kirkby or Bootle full of goods that belong to other people. Vehicles are the urgent part. Drivers still hold keys and tractor units sit at customers' yards, and anything on finance has to be located and reported to the funder.
We act for administrators, liquidators, lenders and landlords. We locate and secure the vehicles, schedule the trailers and the handling equipment, list customer freight for return and give a written opinion of value across the lot. The sale is an online timed auction, run from the operating centre or from our own premises when the site has to be handed back. Describe the appointment through the contact form.
Hauliers, trailers and the loads still on them
A haulage failure is a vehicle job first. We start with the operator's licence records and the fleet list, then find every tractor unit, rigid and trailer and record where it is, who holds the keys, what is on it and whether it is on finance. A unit on finance or contract hire belongs to the funder until the agreement is settled, so those are reported first. Trailers still carrying customer freight are the sensitive part. The load belongs to the customer, the trailer may belong to the company and the two have to be separated without a dispute, so we photograph the seals and the paperwork and arrange for the customer to collect or for the load to be delivered under the office holder's instruction.
Once the position is clear, the company's own vehicles, trailers, forklifts and yard equipment are catalogued for online auction. Bidding is online and open across the UK and overseas, with hauliers and dealers at Warrington, Widnes, Runcorn and St Helens close enough to view in person.
Selling from the dock estate or from our own yard
Where the sale runs from depends on the premises, so the first visit measures them. We look at the hard standing, the vehicle route, the room to turn and the loading arrangements, and that decides whether a viewing day and a collection window can be run from the site. On the dockside roads at Seaforth or Bootle the space can be tighter than at a modern shed on Knowsley Industrial Park or at Estuary Commerce Park, and the lease may be shorter.
In those cases the vehicles can be moved to our own premises, with the forklifts and smaller plant following, and the whole lot sold from there. The office holder gets the same catalogue and the same reporting. The site goes back sooner, and buyers collect from a yard with room to manoeuvre. Vehicles are sold with whatever documents the company held, and we say plainly in the catalogue where a V5C or a test certificate is missing so the price reflects it.
What these sales can include
- Machine tools and production lines
- Finished stock and work in progress
- Raw materials and components
- Commercial vehicles and vans
- Plant and site equipment
- Forklift trucks and pallet trucks
- Racking and warehouse fittings
- Office furniture and IT equipment
- Catering and bar equipment
- Fixtures and fittings
- Tooling, spares and consumables
- Shop fittings and displays
How the auction runs
Insolvency assets are usually sold by online timed auction. The catalogue is photographed on site, listed with estimates and opened for bidding for a period agreed with the office holder, usually one to two weeks. A viewing day is held at the premises. Lots are offered as seen under the auction terms, and buyers are expected to inspect before bidding.
Buyers pay the hammer price plus a buyer's premium, with VAT charged where it applies and shown separately on the invoice. Payment is taken before collection. Buyers arrange and pay for the removal of their lots during an agreed collection window, using specialist movers where the weight and dimensions call for them. Our staff supervise collection so the premises are protected and every removal is signed off.
Private treaty is used for individual assets where a direct sale may produce more than the auction, subject to the office holder's approval.
The liquidation and insolvency asset sales page covers who instructs the sale, what an insolvency practitioner needs from us, securing the site, timescales, for directors.
Questions about selling in Liverpool
- Some trailers are still loaded with customer freight. What do you do with them?
We treat the load and the trailer as two separate things. The freight belongs to the customer and is not sold. We photograph the seals and record the consignment paperwork, then contact the customer through the office holder so they can collect it or agree a delivery. Once the trailer is empty it is scheduled with the rest of the fleet and, subject to any finance on it, goes into the auction. Where a load is perishable we say so at once, because that customer needs to move first.
- Do overseas buyers bid on tractor units and trailers from a Liverpool sale?
Yes. The auction is online, so a dealer or operator anywhere can bid, and the port makes shipping from here practical for a buyer who wants vehicles for export. Vehicles are released against paid invoices once the funds have cleared, and the buyer arranges their own shipping and export paperwork within the collection window. Whether an overseas buyer bids depends on the specification, the age and the cost of shipping, and the online catalogue puts the lots in front of them either way.
More questions about insolvency asset sales
Related services
Guides
- 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.