Lawrie & Symington

Name

Lawrie & Symington

Legal name

Lawrie & Symington Ltd

Website

https://lawrieandsymington.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1862

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Auction Services

NAICS

Livestock Merchant Wholesalers (42452), Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42382), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Ranches & Livestock Properties Brokerage (BPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Herd Handling, Sorting & Restraint Services (Chute Work, Weighing, Tagging) (AFACAEAG), Farm Financial Management & Recordkeeping Services (AFACAJAC)

Keywords

• Livestock auctions
• Agricultural machinery sales
• Farm property advisory
• Rural supplies retail
• Agricultural event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Lanark

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Auction Commissions: Commission charged on all auction lots: 10% on the first £200 of any lot and 5% thereafter, capped at £350 per lot. Minimum commission of £5 per lot.
2. Buyer's Premium: 3% plus VAT buyer's premium on all purchases, capped at £350 per item sold by auction or private treaty.
3. Entry Fees: Entry fees for machinery sales: £10 + VAT per lot for Tractors, Gators, Quads and Vehicles to be sold online.
4. Property & Estate Services: Expert advice and services on agricultural property, land and farm sales, valuations, planning, landlord/tenant matters, and farm management.
5. Retail Sales: Country Supplies retail shop offering farming essentials to rural lifestyle products.
6. Venue Hire & Events: Events venue hire for weddings, parties, corporate meetings, and funerals at the Lanark Agricultural Centre, including Gavel Restaurant dining services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lawrie & Symington runs a full yearly schedule of pedigree and commercial livestock sales and monthly machinery auctions from the Lanark Agricultural Centre in Lanark, Scotland, complemented by agricultural property and estate advisory, a Country Supplies retail shop for farming essentials and rural lifestyle goods, the Gavel Restaurant, and event and private hire venue services. Online bidding is enabled through the Marteye platform and Auctionmarts.com, with live webcams supporting remote participation across Scotland.

Product overview

Lawrie & Symington operates as a full-service rural business and agricultural centre combining multiple service offerings at one location. The core offering is the auctions platform, which runs a full yearly schedule of Pedigree and Commercial Livestock sales and Monthly Machinery Sales. Supporting the auction business is Property & Estates providing agricultural property expertise, Country Supplies retail operations, Gavel Restaurant for on-site dining, and Events & Private Hire utilizing the versatile venue spaces. The company serves the Scottish farming community and wider public through its integrated approach, combining sales, property expertise, retail, dining, and events at the Lanark Agricultural Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gavel Restaurant: On-site restaurant at Lanark Agricultural Centre offering hearty meals, freshly prepared dishes, and coffee
• Country Supplies
• Lanark Agricultural Centre
• Lanark Mart

Products and services

• Livestock and Machinery Auctions Full-service auctioneering of pedigree and commercial livestock (cattle, sheep, calves, prime lambs, poultry) and monthly farm machinery and implement sales at Lanark Mart, with scheduled sale dates, online bidding, private treaty sales, published sale reports, and sales catalogues.
• Property & Estates Advisory Expert advisory services covering agricultural property and land sales, valuations, planning applications, landlord and tenant matters, and farm management for farmers, landowners, and rural property buyers and sellers.
• Country Supplies Retail Retail shop and online store selling farming essentials and rural lifestyle products to farmers, smallholders, and rural lifestyle customers from a physical location at Lanark Agricultural Centre with an accompanying e-commerce site.
• Gavel Restaurant On-site restaurant at Lanark Agricultural Centre offering hearty meals, freshly prepared dishes, and coffee to sale-day visitors, event attendees, and walk-in customers.
• Events and Private Hire Venue Venue hire at the Lanark Agricultural Centre for weddings, parties, corporate meetings, funerals, and other occasions, with flexible spaces and Gavel Restaurant catering available.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Auctionmarts.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party online platform used for buyer registration for Online Timed Sales. Enables remote participation in auctions.
• MarteyecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline bidding platform provider enabling live and timed online auctions for livestock and machinery sales.
• Texel Sheep SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreed society partnership for pedigree Texel sheep entries. Entry fees for pedigree Texels collected by the Texel Sheep Society.
• Livestock Marketing (Borders) LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConjunctive sales partner for Blackface lamb sales, working together on seasonal sheep sales.
• Blackface Sheep Breeders AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation partnership for Show & Sale of In Lamb Blackface Females and Empty Ewe Hoggs.
• Border Union ShowgroundminorOthersVenue partnership for Kelso Ram Sales events.
• Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership organisation. The company acts as Data Controller in relation to personal data processed for auctions, in accordance with GDPR.

Scale indicators3 records

Direct peers

• Halls (Holdings) Ltd: Shropshire-based auctioneers covering livestock, machinery, property and professional services across the Welsh borders. Comparable diversified rural services model combining auctions with property and rural professional services.
• United Auctions: Scotland's largest livestock auction group operating marts across Stirling, Huntly, Dalmally and other locations. Direct competitor running pedigree and commercial livestock sales with online bidding — the closest strategic and geographic peer to Lawrie & Symington.
• McCartneys: Long-established livestock and property auctioneer operating across the Welsh borders and West Midlands. Comparable business model combining livestock sales, farm machinery, rural property, and professional services.
• Hexham & Northern Marts: North-east England livestock auctioneer running regular store cattle and sheep sales. Comparable as a long-established regional mart operator serving a farming community with a similar mix of livestock and machinery sales.
• Caledonian Marts (Stirling): Stirling-based livestock auction business running weekly sales of cattle and sheep. Comparable regional Scottish livestock mart with similar product/service mix to Lanark Mart.
• Aberdeen & Northern Marts: Operates Thainstone Mart and other centres across the north of Scotland, running regular livestock and machinery sales. Directly comparable as a regional Scottish auction mart group with online bidding capabilities.
• C&D Auctions (Borderway): Operates Borderway Mart in Carlisle, one of the UK's largest livestock auction centres. Comparable large-scale regional mart serving Scottish and northern English farming customers.
• Harrison & Hetherington: Major UK livestock auctioneers operating across northern England and southern Scotland, including Borderway Mart in Carlisle. Comparable as a multi-mart livestock and machinery auction business serving a similar farming community.

Emerging players

• Marteye (parent: LSL Auctionsi): Online livestock and machinery auction platform that Lawrie & Symington integrates with. Functions as both an enabling partner and a partial competitor, since direct-to-buyer online sales could bypass traditional auction houses over time.

Others

• Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland: Professional membership body representing Scottish livestock and rural auctioneers. Not a commercial peer but a relevant ecosystem/regulatory organization that Lawrie & Symington partners with, shaping industry standards and data handling practices.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lawrieandsymington
• YouTubeyoutube.com/lawrieandsymington
• Facebookfacebook.com/lawrieandsymington
• Instagraminstagram.com/lawrieandsymington
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lawrie-symington

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Lawrie & Symington