“Sale of the Year” LCV event sees 100% of stock snapped up and a record amount raised for charity

The sun was smiling in a cloudless sky as Novuna Vehicle Solutions’ offsite LCV auction – run in partnership with Manheim Auction Services – raised more than £8,600 for housing and homelessness charity Shelter.

A whopping £2.5 million pounds worth of LCV assets were sold at the event on Friday last week. The happening, the seventh of its kind, is affectionately dubbed the “Sale of the Year” by Cox Automotive’s LCV buying customers.

All 171 vehicles under the hammer on the day sold either to buyers who’d come from all over the UK and Ireland to get their hands on quality used stock (the average age and mileage of which was 50 months and 49,761 respectively), or to the hundreds of customers who joined online via Simulcast.

Attendees were treated to a spot of summery music as they arrived in their droves at Novuna’s Trowbridge site, while food, refreshments and an ice cream van helped keep eager van dealers cool and engaged during the 4.5-hour long auction event.

Matthew Davock, Director of Commercial Vehicles at Cox Automotive, said: “This year’s sale surpassed all expectations to become our most successful yet. It was a fantastic day, with buyers enjoying the quality, volume and variety of LCV stock as well as the glorious weather, venue and electric atmosphere.

“Buyer power was evident from the very first lot, with 52 buyers physically attending and a further 318 joining online. The bidding was fierce throughout with 52% selling to an in-lane buyer vs 48% selling via Simulcast. Overall, stock performed exceptionally on the day with an average selling price of £14,826 and 100.04% of Cap being achieved.

“We’re very proud of our longstanding partnership with Novuna and delighted to not only return a fantastic result for them but also to have raised such a significant sum for an important charity.”

Novuna Vehicle Solutions’ Managing Director, Jon Lawes, said the atmosphere on site for the annual auction was, as expected, excellent.

He added: “We were thrilled to see such a strong turnout, both in person and online, and the successful sale demonstrated both the attractiveness of the stock on offer and buyers’ current appetite for used LCVs. My thanks go to the teams from Novuna and Manheim behind this superb event and the buyers attending for their enthusiasm and generosity towards Shelter.”

Cox Automotive’s chosen charity partner for the coming year is Shelter UK, which helps people in housing need by providing advice and assistance. Julie Kemp, Regional Community Fundraiser, attended the event.

She said: “I had an amazing time at my first-ever commercial vehicle auction. What an event it was. Thank you to everyone at Cox Automotive, Manheim and Novuna for their incredible hospitality and for raising such a fantastic amount.”