MARKET conditions are remarkably similar to those we have seen earlier in the year – except we now have the Easter period behind us without any real blip in demand. While most would say conditions are generally good and steady, not all commentators agree.
Go to www.commercialauctionview.com to experience this exciting online service.
BCA’s new Bedford centre takes shape
CONSTRUCTION at BCA’s new Bedford centre is coming along at a great pace.
The centre will offer both light and heavy commercials from later this year, serving a buyer base from London and the Home Counties and even into the Midlands.
New Bedford features a dedicated heavy commercial drive-through auction facility, with undercover area for buyers, paved hardstanding and a marshalling and loading area.
Light commercials will use Bedford’s two auction halls, with all vehicles displayed undercover.
The arched viewing area has capacity for over 400 vehicles and a number of major corporate fleet sellers have already committed volume for later this year.
Vehicle preparation facilities include washbays that can accommodate the largest vans and trucks and the full range of BCA Smart Prepared services will be available including the all-important trade name deletion.
Some vendors are surprised at the differential between the guide prices they use to set values on vehicles and the real wholesale values they are achieving on some product. Setting reserve at CAP Average without paying attention to the actual condition of the vehicle can end in disappointment for the seller if the condition is below average and this is further compounded by high mileage and possibly large numbers in the marketplace. Never ignore the simple laws of supply and demand because they are at the heart of every business and remarketing is no exception. So what are buyers looking for? Everyone wants the direct-entered van with a good pedigree, in nice condition at a sensible mileage and a complete set of documents including the full service history, V5 and MOT. The market remains mileage sensitive with buyers competing hard for low mileage vans, while high mileage examples have to be sensibly valued if they are to find a buyer. The budget end of the market continues to be strong, with plenty of buyers up to £4,000. When it comes to colours and finishes, buyers continue to favour metallics and any colour that stands out in a crowd – but this must be a factory finish not a later repaint. Specification is increasingly important with driver comfort, safety and entertainment at a premium, particularly for the owner/operator. Remember that vans with aircon will be at a premium as the temperature rises in the summer months! Across BCA’s nationwide network, the demand seems to be constant – there are no obvious pockets where buyer activity wanes and some buyers are travelling great distances to secure specific vehicles. Going around the country, Belle Vue Manchester is having a great year with both volumes entered and sold ahead of expectations. The regular Wednesday van sale is drawing large crowds and with Lex Defence vehicles exclusively sold here there is great demand from buyers who are attending from all corners of the UK. In the south, Blackbushe is attracting big entries every week, with around 450 vehicles regularly being offered. With massive buyer support – both local and national – Blackbushe does exceptionally well in remarketing vehicles from a range of Blue Chip corporate sellers. BCA Glasgow continue to benefit from being the most modern and well-equipped auction centre north of the border serving the currently vibrant Scottish motor scene. Birmingham’s van sale day has moved to a Friday and gone weekly for 2005 and this move has definitely appealed to buyers. Sales volumes have more than doubled over the same period. Commercial view BCA’s Commercial Auction View service is going from strength to strength attracting thousands of potential buyers to browse for vehicles every month. Commercial Auction View lets customers search online for vehicles by make, model, specification, location or even age and mileage throughout BCA’s network with catalogue information displayed and often a picture of the actual vehicle for sale. The latest sale catalogues can be downloaded and the whole system is updated hourly as new stock is entered onto BCA’s database.
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