Wilsons Auctions has doubled capacity at its centres in Telford and Queensferry in Wales following the closure of its operations at Bruntingthorpe in the midlands.

The move is part of the company’s £2m investment programme in its UK operations, which will see it create 20 new jobs and take on the two big players.

Queensferry’s capacity has been extended from five to 11 acres and Telford from five to ten acres.
The new capacity will also be used to introduce commercial vehicle auctions at the Wilsons’ sites for the first time.

In addition, the Northern Ireland-based independent auction company has partnered with Jet Logistics in Stratford-upon-Avon to create a one-stop-shop where fleet vehicles can be de-fleeted, refurbished and sold at one facility.

The Stratford facility is designed to save fleets thousands of pounds in transport charges and is part of the company’s vision of developing a ‘total vehicle solution’ for manufacturers and leasing companies for their end-of-contract vehicles.

“We work with all of the major players in the fleet industry and have done for many years,” explained Peter Johnston, group operations director at Wilsons Auctions.

“We have previously been best known for handling the disposals for the major players in Ireland and Scotland. Our new capacity and relationship with Jet Logistics will allow us to compete on a national level and provide an alternative solution to the auction companies now perceived to be ‘too big to care’”.

Wilsons will take over the management of the Stratford facility.

As part of its expansion plans, Wilsons has also made two senior appointments. Jacqui Le Put is UK sales director and will be supported by Andy Conde who joins as director of auction development.

Wilsons said the pair’s remarketing experience will enable it to make further inroads into the UK auction market.

“Wilsons Auctions is experiencing growth across all our auction complexes. The expansion of both Telford and Queensferry is exciting and gives the staff at both complexes the opportunity to double the throughput at each site, enabling Wilsons Auctions to target fleet vendors who want a fresh approach to fleet sales in the UK,” said Johnston.