What Harrison & Hetherington does

Harrison & Hetherington Limited, founded in 1870 and headquartered at Borderway Mart in Carlisle, Cumbria, is one of the UK's leading livestock auctioneering businesses, operating as a subsidiary of the diversified H&H Group PLC. The company operates seven physical livestock markets across Northern England and Southern Scotland (Carlisle, Kirkby Stephen, Lockerbie, Middleton-in-Teesdale, St Boswells, Wooler, and Lazonby), through which it handles over 800,000 head of livestock annually including 365,000 prime sheep, 165,000 store and breeding sheep, 60,000 beef breeding cattle, and 60,000 store cattle. In addition to commercial livestock, H&H serves as official society auctioneer for major pedigree breed societies spanning Aberdeen Angus, Limousin, Holstein, Texel, and other beef, dairy, and sheep breeds.

The company's core technology platform is its partnership with MartEye, launched in 2020 as the UK's first online livestock auction platform, providing live ring video/audio streaming and timed online auctions accessible via desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. The technology stack includes proprietary MartEye bidding and catalogue functionality, farm-to-farm private trading register, dead weight procurement services, semen and embryo sales, on-farm machinery auctions, and ancillary facilities including a 900m² exhibition hall and Borderway Cafe. Product adjacencies include online sheepdog sales, smallholder and miscellaneous livestock (alpacas, poultry, rare breeds), and signature events such as the Borderway Agri Expo and Borderway UK Dairy Expo.

H&H generates revenue primarily through transaction-based commissions on livestock and machinery auctions, settlement on day of purchase, with default interest at 7.25% above Bank of England base rate and ancillary revenue from exhibition hall hire, cafe operations, breed society official sales, and pedigree event sponsorship. The customer base is structurally diversified across thousands of commercial farmers, pedigree breeders, smallholders, and breed societies, with distribution spanning physical marts (regional), MartEye (global digital), and the farm-to-farm register (UK-wide private trading). The firm is privately held, has no disclosed external institutional investors or PE/VC ownership, and operates as part of H&H Group PLC alongside H&H Insurance Brokers, H&H Auction Rooms, and H&H Land and Estates.

Name

Harrison & Hetherington

Legal name

Harrison & Hetherington Limited

Website

https://harrisonandhetherington.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Harrison & Hetherington is a 155-year-old UK livestock auctioneer operating seven physical marts across Northern England and Southern Scotland plus the MartEye online auction platform. It sells over 800,000 head of livestock annually for commercial farmers, pedigree breeders, breed societies, and smallholders, generating commission-based transaction revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Auctioneering Services

NAICS

Livestock Merchant Wholesalers (42452), Cattle Ranching and Farming (1121), Sheep and Goat Farming (1124), Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (112120)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Beef Cattle Trading & Order Buying (Live Cattle) (AFAEABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Equine Sales, Auctions & Bloodstock Agencies (AFAEAGAH), Livestock Showing, Training & Performance Support Services (Non-veterinary) (AFAEALAM)

Keywords

• Livestock auctioneering
• Agricultural machinery sales
• Pedigree livestock sales
• Online livestock auctions
• Farm-to-farm trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlisle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Livestock Auction Commissions: Commission-based revenue from auctioning livestock at physical and online sales. Settlement terms require payment on day of purchase.
2. Machinery Auction Services: Agricultural machinery, heavy plant, and equipment sales conducted at Borderway mart, St Boswells mart, or on farm with online timed auction format.
3. Exhibition Hall and Venue Hire: 900m2 purpose-built exhibition hall at Borderway, Carlisle available for trade fairs, public shows, conferences and events with catering services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Harrison & Hetherington operates a hybrid physical and online livestock auction platform, conducting weekly and seasonal sales of commercial and pedigree cattle, sheep, calves, dairy cattle and breeding stock across seven mart locations in Northern England and Southern Scotland. The firm complements in-ring bidding with the MartEye live streaming and timed online auction platform, and offers farm-to-farm private trading, agricultural machinery sales, deadweight procurement services, exhibition venue hire, and signature annual events such as Borderway Agri Expo and Borderway UK Dairy Expo. Revenue is generated primarily through commission on auction sales settled on the day of purchase.

Product overview

Harrison & Hetherington operates a multi-service auction platform for the agricultural sector, primarily consisting of livestock auction services (commercial and pedigree cattle, sheep, calves), machinery sales, and an online digital platform via MartEye for live streaming and timed auctions. The company also offers private farm-to-farm trading through its register, dead weight procurement services, exhibition hall facilities, and hosts signature events including Borderway Agri Expo and Borderway UK Dairy Expo. The product portfolio spans physical auction marts at seven locations, online digital auction capabilities, and ancillary facilities and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Borderway Agri Expo: Annual agricultural expo event showcasing livestock and the agricultural industry from around the UK.
• Borderway UK Dairy Expo

Products and services

• Livestock Auction Services

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MartEyecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline auction technology partner providing live ring streaming and timed auction platform for livestock and machinery sales. Enables remote bidding for buyers across UK, Ireland, Europe and internationally.
• Quality Meat ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification body partnership providing quality assurance certification for livestock sold at their markets in Scotland.
• Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrade association membership for livestock auctioneers in England and Wales, operating under LAA recommended conditions of sale.
• Red Tractor AssuranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood standards certification scheme partnership ensuring farm assured livestock meets UK production standards.
• The Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional body membership for auctioneers and appraisers operating in Scotland, providing regulatory oversight and professional standards.
• H&H Group PLCcoreOthersParent company of Harrison & Hetherington, operating as part of diversified group including H&H Insurance Brokers, H&H Auction Rooms, and H&H Land and Estates.
• Various Breed SocietiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial society auctioneer for many beef cattle breeds (Aberdeen Angus, Beef Shorthorn, British Blue, Charolais, Limousin, Hereford, etc.), dairy breeds (Holstein, Ayrshire, Jersey), and sheep breeds (Texel, Suffolk, Beltex, North Country Cheviot, etc.). Conducts official show and sales on behalf of these societies.
• Border & Lakeland Holstein ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly Pedigree Dairy Day sales held on their behalf at Borderway Mart, open to all dairy breeds with cows and heifers normally three weeks calved.
• Glendale Agricultural SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship partnership for herd competition celebrating quality beef cattle and stockmanship in the Glendale region. Prize includes free commission to use at Wooler Mart.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bagshaws: Derbyshire-based livestock, agricultural property, and machinery auctioneers with a heritage of pedigree and commercial livestock sales. Operates competing mart locations using a similar traditional auctioneer-plus-services model to H&H.
• Kivells: Southwest livestock and rural auctioneers operating traditional marts for cattle, sheep, and machinery plus online bidding. Comparable product mix and UK regional livestock auctioneer model to H&H.
• ANM Group (Thainstone): Aberdeen & Northern Marts operates Thainstone Mart and other livestock markets across Northeast Scotland, providing direct competition for prime, store, and breeding cattle and sheep in the same product categories as H&H's Scottish operations.
• Hexham & Northern Marts: Livestock auction company operating directly in Northumberland and surrounding areas, overlapping with H&H's catchment in Northern England. Operates weekly sales of cattle and sheep at the same geography, making it the closest like-for-like competitor.
• McCartneys: Multi-disciplined auctioneers running livestock markets across Wales and the West Midlands alongside rural professional services. Comparable livestock auction business model with pedigrees, commercial cattle, and sheep sales of similar character.
• United Auctions: Scotland's leading livestock auctioneers operating a network of marts across Stirling, Huntly, Lairg, and Dingwall. Comparable pedigree livestock and commercial cattle/sheep auction model serving Scottish farming communities that overlap with H&H's Southern Scotland footprint.
• North West Auctions: Livestock auction business operating primestock and store cattle sales across Lancashire, Cumbria, and Scottish Borders. Direct competitor in the same regional catchment and the same livestock product categories as H&H.
• Lawrie & Symington: Long-standing Scottish livestock and machinery auctioneers operating across Lanarkshire. Comparable auction services for commercial and pedigree livestock, plus machinery sales, similar business model to H&H's St Boswells and other mart operations.
• Greenslade Taylor Hunt: Long-established Southwest livestock and agricultural auctioneers operating markets across Somerset and Devon. Similar historic livestock auctioneer model with cattle, sheep, and machinery sales, plus broader rural professional services.

Others

• MartEye: Online auction platform that powers H&H's digital bidding via integration. Serves as enabling infrastructure rather than a direct competitor, but represents the broader digitization trend that is reshaping the industry H&H operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HHFarmstock
• Facebookfacebook.com/HarrisonHetherington
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harrison-&-hetherington-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/harrison_and_hetherington

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harrison & Hetherington