In 2004 Dixons Group plc announced it was to close 106 UK high street stores (one third of its outlets) as part of a group estate rationalistion programme in favour of bigger and cheaper out-of-town sites.
The firm, which at the time also owned Currys, PC World and The Link and has since merged with Carphone Warehouse, appointed John Pye Auctions to manage residue stock across the 106 high street stores after in-store promotional clearances.
Once the stores has closed this residue stock amounted to qty 50 x 40ft trailers and John Pye Actions were instructed to co-ordinate all transport stock collections and re-routed to John Pye Auctions centrally located Head Office & East Midlands Hub at Nottingham, to then process, market and sell – all within a two month window from collection to payment.
From here the Dixons residue store closure stock was stock checked, screened, quarantined and then allocated into a series of auctions held over 6 weeks, which were promoted through a John Pye Auctions marketing mix, including our first run of auction TV advertising.
All the stock was successfully collected, processed and sold by auction within the allocated time period and attracted auction bidders and buyers from across the UK to our one signle trading site at the time. This proved the launch pad for our John Pye Auctions Retail department, which now manages instructions for over 80% of the UK’s leading Retail PLCs and Partnerships.
