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With new people and dedicated van auctions, Commercial Vehicle Auctions is looking at a bright
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Page 71
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future. Kevin Swallow reports.
F°Rowing the recent departure of auctioneer Charlie Wright, Commercial Vehicle Auctions (CVA) has brought in David Frizzell as managing director and Matt Brookes as general manager.
The first task, says Brookes, was to concentrate on the bread-andbutter business. CVA's standing as one of the best names in the business for disposing of used trucks and plant made the job easier, but the pair weren't about to pin all their hopes on a reputation for selling volume under one roof Changing personnel has had an effect, says Frizzell, as has dividing stock between two sites — CVA and ProTruck Auctions.
"Total volumes decreased a little bit," he reports,"but sales figures have stayed up... the vendors and buyers remain."
The company's new auctioneers are Peter Shevlin and Ross Dalton; the latter is responsible for marketing plant and trucks. CVA then removed light CVs from the main auction to open a dedicated van sale (CM 25 January) unlocking a new revenue stream and competition.
Brookes clearly has the appetite for the challenge and believes his name will help meet CVA's target.That is, for each of the fortnightly van sales to offer at least 150 vehicles from corporate sources such as lease companies and finance houses, along with traditional stock, and to achieve a conversion rate of at least 70%.
"We have the name for trucks and plant, but we don't see those from across town as the main competition," he adds.
"We are just as worried about BCA and Manheim.We are not putting our eggs in one basket; we are looking to put a foot into both camps. "
Off-site sales
Off-site weekend auctions and corporate markets are viewed as long-term strategies, while light commercials are the company's immediate target.
"Vans represent a business opportunity to work in a new market," says Brookes."It's a challenge, we are under no illusion, but CVA has the team structure in place to deal with it. Initially it's going to take a few sales to build."
The first light CV sale got the venture off to a strong start with 70 items of which 57% were converted into sales.
"It's going to be a valuable asset to the business," he predicts. "It's opening a new income stream and it means we are going to be twice as busy with a sale each week.
Already finance houses and rental companies have expressed an interest; they are keen to spread their own risks and keep a broader perspective on the market place.
CVA can provide an independent angle on market prices, rather than a corporate perspective on residual values.
Vans in Doncaster "I he big two have small volumes across a wider area. We do volume under one roof," says Brookes. "With one very good van sale in Doncaster there is no reason why we can't be successful," •