Salvage firm gets green light to double up in Scotland

Vehicle salvage and online auction business Copart is pressing ahead with plans to double up in Scotland after securing final planning consent for a 31-acre site in East Kilbride.

The firm expects its new operation centre to be fully operational next year and to bring “many new job opportunities” to the area.

The expansion is part of Copart’s growth and investment programme to meet continued demand from customers, including most of the big insurers and thousands of automotive customers.

The firm’s strategy combines a programme of land acquisition with “continuous improvement” at its sites and reinvestment in transport, services and technology.

Phil Briggs, UK director of operation centres, transport and engineering, said: “We’re very excited to secure final planning permission for our new operation centre in East Kilbride, which will provide annual storage capacity for over 49,000 vehicles.

“Alongside our 30-acre site in Whitburn, it offers the potential for Copart to handle around 100,000 cars per year across Scotland, doubling our operational capabilities in this part of the UK. With extreme weather events increasing in Scotland, the provision of latent storage capacity is more important than ever.”

Copart UK was established in 2007 and handles more than 400,000 vehicles each year through online auctions for a variety of customers.

The expansion follows similar growth announcements from the company in the past year, including a customer service centre in Bedford,thequadruplingin size of its Bristol operation centre and a 68-acre UK “super-centre” in Suffolk.