BCA Belle Vue – 2,000 and going strong

October 17 was a red-letter day for staff and customers at BCA Belle Vue, Manchester as the remarketing centre celebrated its 2,000th sale with a massive entry of vehicles and a special charity auction on behalf of Children in Need.

To mark the occasion, customers past & present were invited to join in the celebrations as over 650 cars were offered from vendors including Lex, GE Capital Solutions, Motability, Inchcape Retail, Lookers and Polar Motor Company. The auction halls were packed throughout the day and the feedback from customers was excellent.

Also as part of the celebrations, BCA Belle Vue staged a charity auction with lots donated by Glass's Guide, CAP, Trader Guide and BCA. The auction included signed Arsenal & Liverpool shirts and subscriptions to both Glass's Guide & Trader Guide. A top price of £475 was paid for a Manchester United shirt signed by George Best, Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles, Pat Crerand, Bill Foulkes and David Sadler.

There was also a 'lowest unique bid' auction for a LCD TV, with the winner - a representative of local dealer RW Car Sales – bidding just 21p.

In total, the event appropriately raised over £2,000 and the staff chose to donate the money to the BBC's Children In Need Appeal.

Belle Vue Manager Paul Martin commented “Belle Vue is a major hub of the used vehicle trade in the North, and customers will travel from all over the UK and even further afield to attend our sales. We have celebrated our 2000th sale in fine style in partnership with some of our biggest sellers and presented an even wider choice of vehicles for our many thousands of buyer customers.”

Ten BCA Belle Vue Facts & Figures

At 32 acres BCA Belle Vue is largest vehicle auction centre in the North of the UK
The centre offers around 1,500 vehicles a week including cars and commercials
It has three auction halls, named after areas associated with the Lake District - Lancaster, Coniston and Windermere
The centre is on a site of the former Belle Vue speedway track, originally established in 1929
The building’s design echoes the shape of a Big Top, reflecting Belle Vue’s long association with the Circus (the site was home to the Robert Bros Circus in the 1980s)
The year long construction project began in 1988 and cost £12.5 million
HRH Prince Michael of Kent opened BCA Belle Vue in May 1989.
Belle Vue has handled over 1.5 million vehicles since opening
BCA has operated in Manchester since the 1960s and was formerly based at a 2-acre facility in Old Trafford.
Belle Vue has undercover viewing for 600 cars, customer parking for 1,000 cars and its own restaurant - The Trafford Room.