Mr Partridge, who held his first sale just three years ago after leaving Knutsford auctioneers Frank Marshall to set up on his own, exchanged on the freehold of the 15,000 sq ft premises at the beginning of the month.
The former car hire and sales centre, located on the main arterial road to Manchester and Stockport, will undergo a programme of rebuilding and refurbishment, with hopes of holding the December 8 and 9 sale there, although the company will retain their current premises until the end of the year in case the works fall behind schedule.
"We outgrew our Congleton rooms within the first six months of setting up," explained Mr Partridge. "We're now taking in 2000 lots for what is a space suitable for 400 to 500. It has meant constantly moving items between containers and marquees and, to be honest, has been a bit of a nightmare."
"There will be 10,000 sq ft of sales space, with an additional 5000 sq ft for offices, storage and other facilities. It's a one-acre site with 50 car-parking spaces and should be easy to find because it's just behind Tesco," he explained.
"While getting most of our business from the local region – Cheshire, Staffordshire, Liverpool, where we also have rooms, and Derbyshire – we have also been getting an increasing number of consignments from further afield in places like Gloucestershire and even London. We will be looking to do more of that."
With one of the most successful online operations – a recent sale saw around 600 registered bidders via the-saleroom.com – Mr Partridge will also be looking to extend the firm's range of specialisms.
By Ivan Macquisten
