Auction house succeeds in bid to be best in business Going once, going twice... Selfridges a double winner on night
APROPERTY auction house which has grown rapidly in recent years through a series of acquisitions was crowned Company of the Year at the Birmingham Post Business Awards.
SDL Auctions Bigwood took home the top prize at the ceremony last week which celebrated business excellence across 15 categories and also saw Selfridges crowned a double winner.
SDL, whose origins can be traced back to the 1800s, has its headquarters in Birmingham city centre and operates seven other offices across the Midlands and North West.
It specialises in commercial and residential property services and auctions, hosting around 40 events throughout the UK every year, as well as offering hundreds of lots via its online auctions every day.
The company will be a familiar name to regular viewers of BBC show Homes Under The Hammer which often feature its events.
Its recent growth started with the creation of CP Bigwood in Birmingham in 2011, following the merger of Bigwood and Curry & Partners.
It then acquired two further practices, Lloyd Property Management and DMA Chartered Surveyors.
SDL Auctions Bigwood was then established in 2016, following SDL Group’s acquisition of CP Bigwood, Graham Penny Auctions in the East Midlands and Humphreys which operated in Cheshire and North Wales.
Jason Lee, head of Birmingham auctions and national sales manager, said: “One of the major things we strive to do is make a customer experience as opposed to just a businesstype exercise.
“We strive to look after everybody who comes through our door exactly the same and make it a welcoming place for customers to come and do what they need to do. We are trying to improve not just the experience of an auction in a room but also those held online to bring auctions to the masses as opposed to the few.”
It was double delight for high-end department store Selfridges which won both the Customer Service and Retail categories at the ceremony, held again at the ICC.
The Bullring store, one of just four Selfridges in the entire country, wowed judges with its staff training programmes, store redevelopment and drive for customer service excellence.
General manager Sam Watts said: “We appeal to everyone – our motto at Selfridges is ‘Everyone is welcome’.
“Whether you’re coming into the store to buy a jelly bean or a designer bag, you get not only fantastic service but also an experience.
“The store is always changing and regenerating so there is lots to come in 2019 and into 2020, so watch this space.”
Birmingham Post editor-in-chief Marc Reeves paid tribute to both companies and all the category winners.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that SDL is a home-grown success story which doesn’t show any signs of slowing down,” he said. “Through careful acquisitions, the company has expanded its reach to become one of the premier auction houses and property services firms in the region, if not the UK.
“Selfridges has morphed being a department store anchor tenant in the Bullring destination in its own right, inside and out.
“I doubt there are many other shop façades in the region, or even the country, as photographed as Selfridges, while its vibrant interior continues to reinvent itself, constantly giving customers new reasons to visit.
“But congratulations must go to all of our winners and shortlisted finalists which thoroughly deserve their moment in the spotlight and again reaffirm the city’s and region’s place at the forefront of business.”
For profiles of the winners and shortlisted finalists, see our special supplement available free in this week’s edition of the Birmingham Post. from and to a both