Scottish Motor Auctions – the SMA Group – has made some major announcements, including the opening of a new site, the creation of a dedicated fleet department, the revamp of two of its auction centres, a new key fleet sales appointment and the signing up of two new fleet customers.

The independent auction group will open its fifth auction site in Bilston, Birmingham this summer.

The green field site is currently being developed and will offer 2 auction lanes with the capacity to handle over 50,000 vehicles a year.

“With five sites, our capacity will run to 200,000 vehicles a year making us a clear alternative for the remarketing industry,” said Bob Anderson, SMA chief executive.

“This makes us the fastest growing auction company in the UK and we still have plans to open further sites in the future.”

The nine-acre site will feature a full PDI and refurbishment facility.

Meanwhile the group’s Livingstone centre will be developed into a two-lane auction layout, while SMA Leeds is also undergoing changes to its layout to give buyers greater access to vehicles.

“Twin auction lanes provide an ideal solution for time-constrained buyers,” said Andreson.

“Our aim is always to put the needs of our customers at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s in terms of number of vehicles, the auction environment or the customer experience in general.”

The group has also secured two new fleet sellers - RCI, the Nissan and Renault reseller, and Lex Autolease will both be holding regular sales.

Michael Tomlin, the newly-appointed fleet sales director at SMA Group, said “With our dedicated fleet sales team now in place and our determination to provide both sellers and buyers with the ultimate auction experience, we see these two new clients as just the start!”

Tomlin recently joined SMA from Wilsons Auctions and has been given the role of developing SMA’s new specialised fleet division.

“SMA are determined to offer a truly corporate experience for their fleet vendors and it’s a fantastic time to come on board.

"We’re unique in many of our offers, for example in vehicle conditioning with each of our auction sites having its own repair centre for PDI, wet repairs and even accidents.

"We feel that the corporate vendors need a turn-key solution that mirrors their own levels of professionalism and that’s what we’ll deliver.”