BOOMING independent firm Premier Motorauctions Leeds is ploughing £4.5 million into a massive expansion just two years after it opened. The development programme on a 15-acre site opposite the firm's present home will add two 40,000sq ft auction halls with ancillary offices, restaurants and parking areas.

A major recruitment initiative has started to back up the expansion, with staff numbers expected to rise from 72 to just under 200. The firm's smaller present site could become a specialist auction centre in the future as business moves over to the new development. Sales are running at about 2,500 a month, with auctions five nights a week. Conversion rates are about 72%.

Managing director Keith Elliott said: 'We have become a victim of our own success and we simply cannot handle the demand from our nationwide network of customers. What we have done is an achievement that Premier Motorauctions can be proud of. Our staff have been working until 10 or 12 at night just to get through the work we have.'

Turnover is running at about £6.5 million a month and is expected to reach a yearly total of £7.5 million by the end of this year. The business has created specialist departments to encourage customers from several areas, ranging from fleet to main agents.