Member Article

New year, new investment for Leeds auction business

Leeds-based Independent Motor Auctions (IMA) has started the year with increasing its sales plans, investing over £200,000 and adding to its team as part of its expansion.

The company will now hold a weekly commercial van sale at its Leeds branch, adding to its three car sales a week.

In addition, IMA has created another job as part of its growth plans for 2017, recruiting Geoff Flood as commercial manager at the site in Morley.

Geoff joins IMA with many years’ experience in the sector having worked in commercial roles at high profile organisations including SMA and BCA.

This expansion is part of family-run IMA’s plans which saw the company acquire West Coast Motor Auctions (WCMA) in Poulton-le-Fylde near Blackpool in November 2016 in a deal worth a seven-figure sum.

Two new jobs have already been created at the new site and, in addition, IMA has invested over £200,000 in two new trucks to aid transportation.

IMA took over WCMA as the company not only branches into a new region but also into auctioning vans and motorbikes as well as cars. All 16 of WCMA’s original staff were retained as part of the takeover, adding to IMA’s current team of 22. WCMA has a longstanding reputation spanning almost 30 years and IMA has acquired the family-owned business due to retirement.

IMA is owned and managed by the Lane family with Justin Lane recently taking over from his father, John, as managing director following his retirement.

Geoff said: “IMA is a thriving business and I am very excited to be joining at such a pivotal time in the company’s expansion. We have some great ideas to really put the business on the map and I am looking forward to sharing my experience with the team and learning from their vast skills-base too.”

Speaking about Geoff joining the team, Justin Lane said: “Our acquisition at the end of last year is resulting in huge growth plans for the business as a whole and we’re in the process of creating a number of new opportunities. Geoff brings with him many years of valuable experience and increasing our weekly sales means we need people like him to assist with our expansion.”

IMA is the only independent, family-run motor auction business in West Yorkshire and operates from Scotland down to Birmingham counting major names such as Vantage Motors, Jennings, SG Petch, Colin Appleyard, Richard Hardie, Derek Slack, Cars2, Burrows Motor Group, John Roe Toyota, Days Fleet, Northside Mercedes and many more as clients.

As well as the new Blackpool site, IMA occupies three acres on Bruntcliffe Lane in Morley and employs a team of 22 there with three auctions every week. In addition, IMA also offers online auction bidding to its trade customers through its LIVEBID software which has created four new jobs.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Addison Associates .