Harral Brokerage

[dor]

I understand Harrals Brokerage in Northwich is in receivership.

 

If your boat is there i would get it out quick!

[Liam]

Just having a look on my recently created Twitter account and after adding 'waterwaysworld' noticed this under the title 'breaking news'.

 

 

Has anybody heard any more?

 

http://twitter.com/#!/waterwaysworld

[Lady Muck]

I've just Dm'd Mr Granny Buttons, lets see what he says.....

[Athy]

I'm amazed. When I visited them about 18 months ago they seemed to be a thriving and professional company. I hope they pull through.

[Speedwheel]

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=40636

 

7 mins to slow!

[Liam]

Thanks Mark. Merged the topics.

[Stormbringer]

I'm amazed. When I visited them about 18 months ago they seemed to be a thriving and professional company. I hope they pull through.

 

I thought that when I visited them a few times to view some boats - but that was only two or three months ago !

 

There were still plenty of boats for sale moored there when we passed last week too .....

 

Shame - I hate seeing places close down, mostly because there is always a 'human cost'.....

[14skipper]

LATEST

Taken from waterways world

 

Harral Brokerage goes under

 

As we went to press, we learned that Harral Brokerage, the specialist narrowboat brokerage business, has gone into liquidation. Founder Stephen Harral has operated from rented premises at Wincham Wharf, at Northwhich, since 1996, and did busy trade, reaching a high point in early 2007, before the recession.

 

Wincham Wharf’s owner, David Massey, took over the Harrall premises on 23rd August after they were unable to reach agreement on back rent and other debts. It is not known yet if any brokerage customers have lost money. He says that most of the paperwork relating to boats currently for sale seems to have been taken from the premises, but he is still investigating.

 

Wincham Wharf has traded as a boatyard under the name ‘Colliery Narrowboats’ since 1974. The company will now be stepping in to operate the brokerage, under the provisional name ‘Narrowboats Limited’. Massey says that he will be flexible with existing customers of Harral and willing to negotiate.

 

The existing Harral premises (which Wincham owns) will remain, as well as some staff, and the phone number is likely to continue. However, Massey has released a temporary phone number for existing Harral customers and potential new customers: 07817 276891.

 

Stephen Harral blames the high overheads and location at Wincham Wharf in addition to the general downturn. “In retrospect, as the new larger marinas have opened around the country, and most have had their own brokerage business, it became clear that we weren’t in the best place to operate”.

 

Harral claims that the two acres of hard standing and boats moored online up to two abreast made operations very difficult. He had thought of a new base but the process of moving the 75 boats currently on his books proved too difficult.

 

In 2008 Harral helped the New & Used Boat Company establish the brokerage operation at Mercia Marina, at the other end of the Trent & Mersey, but he sold his stake there early last year.

 

WW profiled Stephen Harral in the February 2010 issue, when he expressed optimism for the future. At its peak Harral was selling over 200 boats a year, but that had dipped to about 140 by the time of the interview, although over the years the average price had gone up.

 

Wednesday 24 August | Andrew Denny | 9.16am, Wednesday 24 August 2011

Edited August 24, 2011 by 14skipper

[Gibbo]

Don't Harral have several more offices in other places?

[Guest]

Don't Harral have several more offices in other places?

They had one at Nantwitch marina,but I am 99% certain it is gone.

[Gibbo]

They had one at Nantwitch marina,but I am 99% certain it is gone.

 

Yeah, and they had one at Swanley Bridge in the early days but that went too.

[Guest]

Just noticed the "Two boats moored abreast"line. Two! I have often seen three, maybe four.

 

Must say Harral were good with us when we bought our shell.

[Speedwheel]

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=40639

[Dominic M]

Don't Harral have several more offices in other places?

No. They were invited into to a joint venture arrangement with the New and Used BC at Mercia, largely because NUBC wanted to spread the rental risk. But that came to an end a year or so ago. Nantwich has gone. Swanley pulled out after 1 year and set up on their own.

[Gibbo]

No. They were invited into to a joint venture arrangement with the New and Used BC at Mercia, largely because NUBC wanted to spread the rental risk. But that came to an end a year or so ago. Nantwich has gone. Swanley pulled out after 1 year and set up on their own.

 

You like to keep your finger on the pulse of the competition then

[Dominic M]

You like to keep your finger on the pulse of the competition then

Of course. Don't you in your sphere?

Edited August 24, 2011 by Dominic M

[Gibbo]

Of course. Don't you in your sphere?

 

I did until I sold it. I don't care now

[jeddlad]

I must have visited Harral Brokerage on a very bad day (admittedly it was 4 years ago), didn't find them very helpful and also the boats were poorly presented both on the water and on the hard standing. It was impossible for my Dad to climb onto the boats that were on the hard standing and even difficult for me who is 35 years younger!

 

Having selected 3 boats to look at, phoned to make an appointment, driving for 3 hours, we were still treated like "tyre kickers" (sorry I'm ex motor trade!) and not taken seriously as a buyer. BUT in their defense, it was 2007 and they could probably sell every boat easily without having to negotiate.

 

I never went back to Harrel ever again and bought my boat through a different broker.

[Smelly]

I met Steven Harral in 2002 when he just had the yard at Northwich; he'd sold a decent new (Evans) boat to a friend of mine and said friend took me to his yard.

 

I told him my circumstances which were at the time sparse to say the least but with a guarantor offered & with said friend as a reference he offered to approve finance on a realistic boat. He showed me some in my price range and some he thought I could haggle over; citing hull quality and engine hours over fit out quality as the prime factor in what I should gamble a survey on; I could only afford one survey and was a game; if necessary refitter...

 

I found him honest and forthcoming with time on his hands to spend with someone who, at the time, had little real chance of paying for his time.

 

When we ended up going for a lined sailaway. I regretted not buying from Harral but as Liverpool Boat's light waned the New boat Co offered us a deal we couldn't refuse,

 

I'm a tad sad he's out of the game!

[robdalej]

Very sad to hear that, over the years we have bought and sold a number of boats through them and always found Steven and his crew to be extremely helpful and friendly, we have a friend who has a boat on hard standing in their yard ,at the moment, and am wondering what the situation will be Will cetainly leave a big hole arond this area for people wanting to sell their boats as the other brokers dont seem to have too much room to keep many boats

[HelenF]

Quoting from the Waterways World article, Harral was selling approx 140 boats per year.

Well, assuming the average priced boat is £40,000 and commission at 6%, Harral's annual turnover would have been £336,000.

 

Allowing for the costs of renting an office and moorings and advertising space, I imagine there would be a fair sum left for earnings.

So, how come it went bust?

[Dominic M]

Very sad to hear that, over the years we have bought and sold a number of boats through them and always found Steven and his crew to be extremely helpful and friendly, we have a friend who has a boat on hard standing in their yard ,at the moment, and am wondering what the situation will be Will cetainly leave a big hole arond this area for people wanting to sell their boats as the other brokers dont seem to have too much room to keep many boats

Not so. We have room for a good number of boats on brokerage at Overwater Marina, Audlem.

[mrsmelly]

Not so. We have room for a good number of boats on brokerage at Overwater Marina, Audlem.

 

RUGBY BOAT SALES....THEEEE ONLY BROKERAGE IN THE UK. DONT BOTHER WITH THE REST JUST GO TO THE BEST. DOM AND HIS CREW DO THE BIZ.....

[cotswoldsman]

Quoting from the Waterways World article, Harral was selling approx 140 boats per year.

Well, assuming the average priced boat is £40,000 and commission at 6%, Harral's annual turnover would have been £336,000.

 

Allowing for the costs of renting an office and moorings and advertising space, I imagine there would be a fair sum left for earnings.

So, how come it went bust?

 

Most probably best you do not start a Boat Brokerage Business.

[Alan de Enfield]

Most probably best you do not start a Boat Brokerage Business.

 

Maybe the electricity, rates, water, heating, maintainance, telephone, web site, insurance, wages, accountants fees, Corporation tax, NI etc. etc. etc were provided free of charge and he just 'blew' the money on a world cruise.

 

Dont forget the VAT man will take his 20%