Traditional Island business goes green

Monday 27 October 2014

Jersey’s longest established auction site, Glencoe, which is operated by Simon Drieu & Co Ltd, has gone green by moving its systems to the cloud, cutting its paper usage by up to 40%.

The auction site at Glencoe, in the rural heartland of St Lawrence, has changed little since the first auction was held in 1956. It is a much-loved local tradition and popular with generations of Island families, those looking for a bargain and collectors.

‘We’ve spent the last three months moving our systems to the cloud to enable us to cut back on the amount of paper we use.  We are, as you would imagine, a very traditional business and this move to the cloud will ensure that our business remains viable and continues to operate for many years to come,’ said MD Simon Drieu.

The move to the cloud follows the company’s sustainable approach to re-using and recycling second hand goods.  There are no minimum values in place for people wishing to sell items at Glencoe, which means that each weekly auction hosts a vast array of unwanted items from cars to tools and household furniture to art and antiques.   If any items are unsold the owner can either take them back or if they prefer the items are donated to charity for recycling. 

Adrien Merhet of AM Consultancy Ltd, the business that carried out the upgrades said: ‘Simon Drieu & Co Ltd is a relatively small and very traditional business, which you wouldn’t expect to have adopted the most innovative and modern technologies. This move only goes to prove that cloud storage can enhance the services offered by companies of all sizes and sectors. I was taken to the auction as a boy by my father and am delighted that these changes will ensure that Glencoe is sustainable for generations to come.”