YES
Henry Forcer Evans, the Fine Art division, Taylor & Fletcher
Henry Forcer Evans.
“We opened our permanent North Cotswold Saleroom, in Lansdowne, Bourton-on-the-Water, last year. We were keen to invest in a saleroom when online bidding became mainstream, but we resisted simply because our local internet connection was, until recently, too slow and unreliable.
“So, we held our Fine Art sales 16 miles away in Cheltenham, where there was good broadband. We were not, however, entirely ‘pop-up’ as we had both fixed offices, and a mile away, a permanent warehouse. The main advantage of a permanent saleroom is efficiency, benefiting the buyer, the seller and everyone else involved in a sale. If you change locations, your buyers, sellers and everyone else are put out and are less likely to come back to you.
“In the long term, the advantages of investment in a permanent saleroom with offices and warehousing far outweigh the novelty value and perceived profitability of holding pop-up auctions.”
NO
Guy Savill, director, The Pedestal (formerly of Bonhams)
Guy Savill.
“As specialists who had the luxury of selling in Bond Street for over 20 years, location was a big decision for us when we launched The Pedestal in 2016.
“With a select programme of sales, our own saleroom would be infrequently used, so an outside venue seemed obvious.
“We settled on Moor Park Mansion in Hertfordshire, which has excellent road, rail and tube connections as well as plentiful parking – and all just over 20 miles from Marble Arch.
“Most importantly, it gave us the backdrop of Giacomo Leoni’s Grade I-listed Palladian mansion with important but unfurnished interiors.
“Our experience with house sales had taught us that these locations could be logistically difficult and expensive, but with careful planning and technological advances, the concept is now more workable.
“In a less London-centric market, our storage facility on the Wiltshire/ Oxfordshire border has also been well-received by clients keen to avoid the congestion of the capital.
“With physical auction attendance at lower levels across the board, the added pull of a fantastic location has worked in our favour and we plan to introduce more events at other exciting pop-up locations.
“Overall then, we find that remaining mobile – travelling between London, our warehouse, clients and our pop-up sale venue – has proved to be highly effective for us.”
