Constellation Automotive Group: Difference between revisions
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Wickins then rented a farmer’s field at Frimley Bridges, now under junction 4 of the [[M3 motorway]], and set up his first public auction. The 14 cars auctioned sold for a total of £8,250. Wickins and one of his brothers immediately founded Southern Counties Car Auctions Ltd, which after exiting the Royal Navy shortly afterwards he expanded across the UK by selling surplus ex-[[British Army]] and [[Royal Air Force]] vehicles for the [[Ministry of Defence]].<ref name=GetHamp/> |
Wickins then rented a farmer’s field at Frimley Bridges, now under junction 4 of the [[M3 motorway]], and set up his first public auction. The 14 cars auctioned sold for a total of £8,250. Wickins and one of his brothers immediately founded Southern Counties Car Auctions Ltd, which after exiting the Royal Navy shortly afterwards he expanded across the UK by selling surplus ex-[[British Army]] and [[Royal Air Force]] vehicles for the [[Ministry of Defence]].<ref name=GetHamp/> |
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Renamed '''British Car Auctions''', Wickins then expanded the company across [[Europe]] and the [[United States]] through acquisition. |
Renamed '''British Car Auctions''', Wickins then expanded the company across [[Europe]] and the [[United States]] through acquisition. This included the purchase of the car auctions division of British [[conglomerate]] Hawley Goodall, owned by [[Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft|Michael Ashcroft]]. This proved to be the start of a life long friendship between Wickins and Ashcroft, and through his [[Bermuda]] and [[Belieze]] based holdings in various banks, Ashcroft would finance a number of Wickins later business ventures.<ref name=GuardLotus>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2000/jan/16/thatcher.uk1|title=Ashcroft's Lotus position|author=Andy McSmith and Ben Laurance|publisher=[[The Observer]]|date=16 January 2000|accessdate=2012-07-14}}</ref> In 1987, Ashcroft bought out the existing shareholders of BCA via Hawley Goodall, and closed down Wickins treasured aviation divison, which flew both [[Jet Ranger]] helicopters and [[King Air]]s turbo props. |
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The company initially had head offices at the Frimley Bridges site, but later moved to purpose-built premises at [[Blackbushe Airport]], [[Yateley]] to accomodate the now closed aviation division, which it still occupies. Employing 160 at its head office, Wickins built the company into the largest car auction business in the world before retiring in 1990.<ref name=GetHamp>{{cite web|url=http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s/2007738_auctions_magnate_began_by_selling_just_one_old_car|title=Auctions magnate began by selling just one old car|publisher=GetHampshire.co.uk|date=February 13, 2007|accessdate=2012-07-14}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | A near-[[scratch golfer]], through this and his long association with the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], Wickins met and befriended [[Denis Thatcher]]. Wickins later agreed to sponsor [[Mark Thatcher]]'s [[motor racing]] activities through BCA. Denis later served on one of Wickins companies boards, while Mark served as chairman of [[Lotus Cars]] in North America, which Wickins had led from near-bankruptcy to survival.<ref name=GetHamp/> |
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| ⚫ | A near-[[scratch golfer]], through this and his long association with the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], Wickins met and befriended [[Denis Thatcher]]. Wickins later agreed to sponsor [[Mark Thatcher]]'s [[motor racing]] activities in the 1980s through BCA. Denis later served on one of Wickins companies boards, while Mark served as chairman of [[Lotus Cars]] and later BCA in North America, which Wickins had led from near-bankruptcy to survival.<ref name=GetHamp/> |
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==Operations== |
==Operations== |
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Revision as of 07:23, 15 July 2012
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2011) |
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| Company type | Vehicle Remarketing |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founder | David Wickins |
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people | Jon Olsen (CEO) Andrew Hume (UK MD) Paul Bradbury (European MD) |
| Products | Physical and Online Vehicle Auctions |
Number of employees | 5,000 |
| Website | british-car-auctions.co.uk bca-europe.com |
BCA Europe (British Car Auctions), is the largest vehicle remarketing business in Europe, with an annual turnover in excess of £4 billion.[1]
History
In 1946 Royal Navy officer David Wickins decided to sell his Riley Lynx tourer. Placing an advert in the local newspaper, he offered to sell the car to the first person who turned up at his mothers house in Farnham, Surrey with £200. Arriving home late, he found a crowd of eager buyers, and so auctioned the car off for £420.[2]
Wickins then rented a farmer’s field at Frimley Bridges, now under junction 4 of the M3 motorway, and set up his first public auction. The 14 cars auctioned sold for a total of £8,250. Wickins and one of his brothers immediately founded Southern Counties Car Auctions Ltd, which after exiting the Royal Navy shortly afterwards he expanded across the UK by selling surplus ex-British Army and Royal Air Force vehicles for the Ministry of Defence.[2]
Renamed British Car Auctions, Wickins then expanded the company across Europe and the United States through acquisition. This included the purchase of the car auctions division of British conglomerate Hawley Goodall, owned by Michael Ashcroft. This proved to be the start of a life long friendship between Wickins and Ashcroft, and through his Bermuda and Belieze based holdings in various banks, Ashcroft would finance a number of Wickins later business ventures.[3] In 1987, Ashcroft bought out the existing shareholders of BCA via Hawley Goodall, and closed down Wickins treasured aviation divison, which flew both Jet Ranger helicopters and King Airs turbo props.
The company initially had head offices at the Frimley Bridges site, but later moved to purpose-built premises at Blackbushe Airport, Yateley to accomodate the now closed aviation division, which it still occupies. Employing 160 at its head office, Wickins built the company into the largest car auction business in the world before retiring in 1990.[2]
A near-scratch golfer, through this and his long association with the Conservative Party, Wickins met and befriended Denis Thatcher. Wickins later agreed to sponsor Mark Thatcher's motor racing activities in the 1980s through BCA. Denis later served on one of Wickins companies boards, while Mark served as chairman of Lotus Cars and later BCA in North America, which Wickins had led from near-bankruptcy to survival.[2]
Operations
Renamed British Car Auctions as its success expanded, it has since become Europe’s largest used vehicle auction company, selling well over 1 million vehicles every year. It has 40 branches in 12 European countries: UK, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, and serves buyers from all countries through its auction centres or online. It sells on behalf of a wide range of vendors including:
- Fleet owners and small companies
- Leasing and finance companies
- New and used car dealers
- Car importers and manufacturers
- Banks
- Private individuals
The company does not generally own the stock it sells, but instead acts as a neutral intermediary between vendors and buyers. Auction centres can be found on the group website or on one of the country websites. It uses both physical auction centres and online selling to remarket vehicles from 38 centres in 12 countries across Europe. It handles the logistics for over 1 million vehicles per year, including collections, deliveries, vehicle inspection, storage and vehicle preparation.
References
- ^ "British Car Auctions Case Study" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d "Auctions magnate began by selling just one old car". GetHampshire.co.uk. February 13, 2007. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ^ Andy McSmith and Ben Laurance (16 January 2000). "Ashcroft's Lotus position". The Observer. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
External links
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