Scottish Motor Auctions (SMA), now the biggest car auction group in the UK, which runs 21 weekly sales, including commercial and plant auctions, is continuing its expansion plans by opening a new site in Birmingham next year. The group intends to operate out of a purpose-built centre in the city, making it the group’s third site in England after Newcastle and Leeds.

SMA, which already trades from locations in Livingston and Kinross, and has a depot in Aberdeen, increased its sales from GBP8.9 million to GBP9.8m in the year to October 2009, and posted an operating profit of GBP401,000, after a loss the previous year.

The company reported that A combination of management’s focus on building relationships with buyers and vendors, maximising operational efficiencies, and an element of restructuring of operations, has resulted in a significant improvement in profitability.

The new centre in Birmingham is due to open in January 2011, and will create 140 jobs, and SMA hope it will provide a significant contribution to its profitability in 2011. Bob Anderson, SMA’s managing director, commented that The site will be the first purpose-built auction centre for many years in the UK and gives SMA Group the chance to deliver a state of the art facility.