We first ask Thompson how the last 12 months have been for Aston Barclay? He says: “2024 has been a strong year for us. We’ve made key strategic appointments within our senior team, including welcoming Eddie Thomson as chief operating officer and Gordon Inglis as chief revenue officer – they have brought fresh perspectives to the business.
“We are privileged to work and grow with some fantastic vendors, including Arnold Clark, Vauxhall Finance and John Grose, and have also broadened our roster with new partnerships, such as KINTO. Whilst market supply has been constrained, conversion rates and vehicle values have been very healthy, which has helped us to keep growing.”
Next, we talk to Thompson about Aston Barclay’s main growth areas over the last 12 months. He says: “Sustainability has been a big area of growth for us, as well as retaining our ISO accreditations. We’ve also invested significantly in our EV infrastructure, which aligns with increasing demand for EV vehicles from both vendors and buyers. Aston Barclay was the first national auction house to achieve EVA accreditation from the Energy Saving Trust, which includes an independent audit to verify that businesses meet a set of standards covering EV sales and aftersales. This accolade has been awarded to half of our centres, with the rest to follow in 2025.
“Another key area of growth has been expanding our services offered to our customers. These have included the rolling out of our UPGRADE refurbishment services, plus taxi, salvage, and GDPR checks, across all our centres.”
Thompson is justifiably proud that Aston Barclay retained the ‘Best Remarketing Award’ at the 2024 Business Car Awards – but we push him as to what other business events last year they have been most proud of. He says: “Winning the Best Remarketing Award was fantastic, but we’re equally proud of our broader achievements and events we’ve been involved with this year, both internally and externally. Being named Remarketing Company of the Year at the 2025 What Van? Awards was a testament to our team’s innovative approach to the LCV sector and reinforced our leading position in the commercial market.
“We’ve also worked closely with our key vendors to hold exclusive sales outside of our weekly sales schedule, which has resonated strongly with our buyer base. Finally, we are proud to have continued to support automotive charity Ben, to raise vital funds to help the team continue the amazing work they do. In the last 12 months, we’ve taken part in a range of the Ben events, including Ben’s Big Breakfast and the Ben ball.”
It seems 2025 is already gearing up to be a fantastic year for Aston Barclay, as Thompson tells us their auctions are set to become bigger and better, to ensure an even better choice of quality stock in every sale. He says: “We have a lot of tech launches in the pipeline, including rolling out an updated version of ‘Appraisal Pro’ and ‘Evaluate’ to provide our customers with a more seamless pre-sale experience, and launching our digital rostrum after a very successful trial at our Westbury centre. We are also planning deeper integration with DMS, which will roll out early in 2025.
“I’m also really excited about some new automotive powerhouses we will be partnering with in 2025 – more on that will be announced in the next few weeks.”
Thompson goes on to say that Aston Barclay’s growth is cemented in consistency and customer experience. He says: “Our aim is simple – winning on customer experience – and that underpins everything we do as a business. We’re fortunate to work with fantastic vendors and this allows us to maintain strong volume levels – even in a fluctuating market. Operational excellence is part of our DNA, but what really sets us apart from our competition is our unwavering commitment to customer service. We always put the customer first, whether it’s a small independent dealership or a large OEM, we genuinely care about their success.”
Winning the Best Remarketing award reinforces Aston Barclay’s strategic decisions and motivates them to push even harder, Thompson tells us. He says: “Our focus remains on innovation, including introducing new technologies and staying ahead of market trends, while staying true to our heritage in physical auctions. As the market evolves, so will we, ensuring we deliver industry-leading performance and customer service. That’s how we plan to retain our title next year!”
