Timber products and joinery equipment to the value of £2.4m will go under the hammer next month in what is believed to be the largest distressed sale of its type in the UK.
The 4,000 lots are the assets of Oakworth Joinery, the Yorkshire company which its administrators described as the UK’s largest independent window and door manufacturer before its closure in February.
Valuers and auctioneers Charterfields have spent several weeks cataloguing the stock remaining on Oakworth’s 15-acre site in Keighley.
The sale will feature 1,500 lots of woodworking equipment, machinery and tooling, including a recently installed fully automated Cefla paint line, along with 1,000 lengths of timber consisting of machined redwood, iroko, sapele and oak.
There are also manufactured products including 500 sets of French folding doors and 500 windows, plus warehouse racking, office equipment and consumables.
Oakworth was Keighley’s second largest employer and its collapse resulted in the loss of 170 jobs. The company had been manufacturing in the town since 1965.
Charterfields is selling the assets of the business on behalf of the administrators the P&A Partnership.
“In terms of the sheer number of items, this is one of the largest auctions we have seen in recent years,” said Robert Edwards, associate director with Charterfields. “I believe it will certainly be the biggest ever distressed sale of timber products in the UK.
“The auction will be of interest not only to the joinery trade but also to the wider construction industry. It is an opportunity for window and door manufacturers to stock up on raw materials and equipment, and for builders, builders’ supplies merchants and DIY outlets to acquire windows, doors and other products at below cost prices.”
Viewing takes place at the premises of Oakworth Joinery between 9.00am and 4.30pm on March 27 and 28, with the online auction being held on April 2-4.
For more details of the lots visit www.charterfields.co.uk/asset-sales or see the classified advertisement in the current issue of TTJ.
