12 Oct 2023
South Yorkshire-based auction and asset management specialists NCM Auctions are breathing new life into assets from the former Debenhams store in Lincoln, creating lots of positive buyer stories along the way.
Debenhams in St Marks Shopping Centre closed its doors for the final time in May 2021 after decades on the High Street. The department store was bought by Boohoo and transitioned to an online-only retailer.
But there can be positives. NCM Auctions are clearing the space for a new retailer to revitalise the high street. At the same time, the local community, charities and businesses all benefit from using their auctions to access high-quality fixtures, furniture, catering equipment, retail displays and much more at a fraction of the cost of sourcing those items new.
NCM’s approach gives all those assets a chance to be redeployed and renewed rather than going to landfill. It’s modern, ethical recycling that helps drive positive social and economic impact.
Founder and CEO Emma McSkelly explains:
“Smaller businesses, independent retailers and charities buy from our auctions all the time. Commercial auctions are a vital supply channel for many different organisations.
At every auction, we meet amazing people who come to collect their purchases. That could be former employees or collectors who want pieces of memorabilia. Charities who use our auctions to source furniture and equipment. Other store owners or exciting entrepreneurs who are just starting out or scaling up their businesses.
It’s a brilliant community of people who are all doing their bit to make positive changes. Capturing these stories is one of the best parts of my job!”
There was a lot of local interest in NCM’s auction for the former Debenhams store. So much so Emma joined Scott Dalton from BBC Radio Lincolnshire on his early morning show to talk about it in more detail and explain the process.
Emma will join Scott on his show again this Friday (13 October) to follow up and share some of the buyer stories live on air.
