Buyout ends 35 year history for family owned York firm

IT'S the end of one era and the beginning of another for the North's largest salvage business following its acquisition by a US firm.

Simpson Bros. Auto Salvage, which operates from a 42 acre site on Full Sutton Industrial Estate near York, has been bought by California-based Copart for an undisclosed sum. All 55 staff working at the site are expected to be retained.

A definitive agreement for the sale of the family run business has already been reached and acquisition will be completed by early April.

Once the deal is completed the site will be closed for 90 days and the facility completely revamped ready to be re-launched by July.

Simpson Bros. Auto Salvage, which started trading in 1973 out of a small country garage at Warthill near York, has been owned and run for the last 35 years by the Simpson brothers Brian, Bernard and Bruce together with their wives Christine, Barbara and Jane.

Around 20 years ago they were joined by nephew Tim Simpson and later his wife Michelle, with Brian and Christine leaving in 1990. Tim Simpson is expected to become site manager under the new ownership.

The business handles some 20,000 cars a year and has an annual turnover of £11.5m.

Bruce Simpson, director of Simpson Bros. Auto Salvage said while he would have loved to see the Simpson name over the door for years to come he was confident that the business would go from strength to strength.

“Allt he staff are expected to be retained under the new ownership and Copar has plans to double the volume of business at the Full Sutton site,” he said.

Willis J. Johnson, chairman and chief executive of Copart said: “We expect this facility, when acquired, to greatly expand our operational capacity and enhance our coverage of the UK. It will also expand our footprint so we can better serve our customers by being closer to their vehicles.”

The deal was led by York-based law firm Harrowells, who have lawyers for Simpson Bros for the last 35 years.

Philip Lewis Ogden, a solicitor specialising in company and commercial law, who led the team said the firm had to “go the extra mile” thanks to a tight deadline and a eight hour time difference between York and California.

“The result for the Simpson family with whom as always it has been a delight to work – has really made it all worthwhile,” he added.

Copart was founded in 1982 and provides vehicle suppliers and primarily insurance companies with the opportunity to process and sell salvage vehicles through an on-line auction-style trading platform.

It already operates ten other similar facilities across the UK and 138 worldwide and is expected to double business handled by the site with the number of transporters used to collect the salvage vehicles doubling to around 40.