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Lower weights and higher profits
Page 68
Page 69
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Commercial Vehicle Auctions' current foray into
the used van market is paying dividends, says
Kevin Swallow — not least because the company
is concentrating on offering "a good mix" of stock
Vans have always been included in sales at Commercial Vehicle Auctions (CVA), but it took a new management team to separate the lightweights from the heavies and let them find their own feet.
This early success has led general manager Matt Brookes to make van sales an established part of the crowded auction calendar, but he admits that some sales have been hard work.
More than 70 vans were submitted for auction at Doncaster back in January, of which 55% found buyers; the stats were. similar at the most recent sale, apart from a small increase in the number of vans rolling through and the amount of money changing hands.
In the initial sale bidders paid a total of £100,000 for the vehicles sold. Brookes explains: "We hit a peak of nearly 100 [vans] in the first stages but it has settled down now to around 70 to 80 with a similar conversion rate; for the most recent sale we took £159,000."
The vehicles included late-year stock from DaimlerChrysler Services (including new-shape M-B Sprinters), and vehicles from council leasing companies as well as older stock.
"The next step is to try to get more numbers in, about 100 by the back end of the year," says Brookes."We need a leasing company that can provide 20 vehicles or so a month."
Most bidders at these sales are local, including operators coming up from Manheim at Leeds, but some are coming up from the South for vehicles.This means CVA has something out of the ordinary to offer,says Brookes, and it is helping specific vehicles to achieve above CAP book prices.
"To draw a crowd in you need the peaches," he admits. 'But the bottom end stuff for your butcher, baker, candlestick maker plays a part as well... you need a good mix."
The Doncaster van sales last two hours—manageable for visitors who don't have an entire day to spare. Brookes adds: "The market is very tight at the moment. There's not a lot of stock available and what there is is getting snapped up. Manufacturers' lead times are growing, which means leasing companies aren't releasing stock, and it makes fora smaller pool for the buyer. "It's the late-plate market that is suffering but if it's a 55/56 and it's the right spec it can make £750 more than CAP clean."
Brookes' background in vans at Manheim has clearly paid dividends. Sticking vans at the front end of a heavy sale doesn't enhance the chances of fetching top dollar or finding the right bidders. CVA has earned a solid reputation for its truck sal es; now it is on the way to doing the same for vans. •