Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Huntly mart operator United Auctions now owned by employees

The move to employee ownership is thought to be a first for livestock auctioneers.

United Auctions' boardroom team of, l-r, Richard Henderson, Donald Young, Christopher Sharp, Peter Wood, David Brown and John Roberts.
United Auctions' boardroom team of, l-r, Richard Henderson, Donald Young, Christopher Sharp, Peter Wood, David Brown and John Roberts. Image: United Auctions

United Auctions (UA), the business running Scottish mainland marts in Stirling, Huntly, Lairg, Dalmally, and Oban, and others on Tiree, Islay and South Uist, is now employee-owned.

The firm has its headquarters at Stirling Agricultural Centre.

Its most recent full-year accounts show it employed 91 people in 2023.

Setting up an employee ownership trust (EOT) gives these workers an indirect stake in the business.

They will also have a stronger voice in its future, UA said.

United Auctions says move to employee ownership means ‘continuity’

The group added: “It also provides continuity for customers and key stakeholders.

“Unlike traditional buyouts or mergers, this transition keeps decision-making local, preserves the company’s culture and strengthens the trusted relationships staff have built with  customers.”

The move is thought to be the first of its kind for a livestock auctioneer.

Bull sales at Stirling Agricultural Centre.
United Auctions is based at Stirling Agricultural Centre, which is also home to world-famous bull sales. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

UA’s boardroom team – comprising John Roberts, Donald Young, Christopher Sharp, David Brown, Richard Henderson and Peter Wood – will continue to manage the business, albeit in evolving roles.

Mr Roberts, now executive chairman,  said: “By becoming employee-owned we are reaffirming the future of United Auctions for our employees, while safeguarding the values that have made us a trusted name in livestock auctioneering.”

United Auctions now led led by two joint managing directors working alongside new executive chairman

Mr Young is now joint managing director, sharing the role with Mr Sharp.

“Customers and farmers can rely on the same level of service and commitment that our staff have upheld for years,” Mr Young said.

The EOT board includes George Purves as chairman, Mr Brown as employee trustee director and independent trustee director Jane Johnston.

Huntly Mart
Huntly Mart. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Mr Purves  is stepping down from operational duties at UA in order to focus on his new role.

The trust’s chairman said: “This new model preserves independence and empowers employees with a tremendous opportunity to drive the business forward and ensure its continued success.”

Lairg Mart sheep sale.
Lairg Mart sheep sale. Image: Andrew Smith

Mr Purves, Mr Roberts, Mr Sharp and Mr Young were all part of a management buyout of the business, for an undisclosed sum, in 2017.

The transition to an employee ownership model has been completed with the help of HSBC Bank UK, the corporate finance team at Aberdeen-headquartered accountancy firm Johnston Carmichael, and law firms Burness Paull and Ledingham Chalmers.

A sale of Highland Cattle at the mart in Oban in 1999.
A sale of Highland Cattle at the mart in Oban in 1999.

UA conducts auctions of both commercial and pedigree livestock. These include the world-famous Stirling Bull Sales.

The company deals with more than 18,000 customers across the UK and Ireland every year.

Group turnover is more than £246 million annually and in 2023 UA celebrated its 165th year.

Conversation