Britannia AuctionsPrivate treaty sales in Warrington
Warrington's most valuable single assets tend to be plant rather than machines. A standby generator set at a distribution centre on Omega. A run of switchgear or a reactor vessel from the chemical works at Bank Quay. A test rig or a glovebox line built for a nuclear engineering contract at Birchwood Park. A batch of matching trailers from a yard on Woolston Grange. None of these draws a crowd, and a crowd is what an auction needs. Each has a short list of likely buyers, and private treaty is how we reach them.
We inspect the asset, prepare a description with photographs, specification and service history, and approach the buyers who deal in that plant. Contractors, hire fleets, process firms and dealers, across the UK and, where there is export interest, abroad. Every offer comes to you in writing with our view, and our fee is agreed in writing before marketing begins.
Generators, switchgear, vessels and test rigs with known buyers
A large generator set or a section of switchgear has a market of hire companies, data centres, contractors and electrical dealers, and that is a market which knows what it is looking for. Expect questions on the hours, the load test history, the fuel system and the control panel, and a clear statement of what is included in the sale. The same applies to process plant from the chemical side of town: vessels, heat exchangers, pumps and filtration units suit other process operators and the dealers who refurbish them, and the material certificates and inspection records are what the buyer pays for.
Nuclear and energy engineering work at Birchwood adds test rigs, pressure test equipment, inspection systems and calibration gear built to a contract. When the contract ends the kit is late model and well documented, and sold one item at a time to other subcontractors on the same programmes.
We check the position on any export controlled equipment before we approach a buyer abroad.
Motorway access, and what we check on site
Warrington sits at the crossing of the M6 and M62, which is why the distribution sheds are here. Omega is close to junction 8 of the M62, and Birchwood and Winwick Quay reach the M6 at junction 21 without a town centre street in between, so the road part of a removal is straightforward to plan. What happens before the lorry moves is checked on the site: vehicle access and the turning circle, the loading arrangements, the door dimensions and the floor.
The older estates near the Ship Canal and around Woolston Grange need a look first. Doors, floor loading, ceiling height and the turning space for an artic are all checked before the description is written.
Widnes, Runcorn, St Helens and Wigan are near enough for a viewing, and contractors elsewhere work from the write up.
What these sales can include
- CNC machining centres and lathes
- Printing presses
- Injection moulding machines
- Packaging lines
- Large generators and switchgear
- Cranes and heavy lifting equipment
- Specialist process plant
- Laboratory and test equipment
- Complete production cells
- Late model plant and vehicles
- Marine and rail equipment
- High value catering and bakery lines
How we market the asset
We inspect the asset, or have it inspected, and prepare a description with photographs, specification, condition and any service history. We then approach buyers directly: dealers who trade in that type of machine, and end users the asset suits. The asset can be advertised openly or offered only to selected parties. How open we are depends on how much confidentiality you need.
Interested buyers inspect by appointment. We attend or arrange access, answer questions and take offers. You are kept informed at each stage but do not have to deal with the buyers yourself.
There is no fixed end date. A private treaty sale takes as long as it takes to find the right buyer at the right price, which is one of its advantages and one of its costs.
The private treaty sales page covers when private treaty beats auction, how offers are handled, fees and what you receive, what to prepare.
Questions about selling in Warrington
- Our generator is still wired in as the site standby. Can it be sold while it is connected?
Yes. We market it in place, with the load test records and a viewing by appointment, and agree a removal date that fits your changeover to the replacement set or the new supply. Disconnection is by qualified people, with the isolation agreed between their electrician and yours, and the sale terms say who lifts, who transports and who makes good the plinth. Nothing moves until the buyer has paid in full, with VAT where it applies, and the site is ready.
- Can a batch of late model trailers from our yard go by private treaty rather than auction?
It can, when the trailers are of one type and age. A fleet operator or a trailer dealer may take a matching batch in one negotiated deal, which saves the yard being opened for a viewing day and a collection window. Anything on finance is the funder's until the agreement is settled, so we get their agreement and a settlement figure before we approach anyone. A mixed yard of older trailers usually suits an auction better, and we will say so.
More questions about private treaty
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.
- What happens to unsold lots
Not every lot sells, but the site still has to be cleared. This guide covers why lots go unsold, private treaty after the sale, lowering or removing the reserve, a later sale, scrap and WEEE recycling, and what disposal costs.