BOSSES at an antiques centre in Taunton are working around the clock ahead of opening a new sales room early next year.

Ahead of Antiques on High, based in Silver Street, staging its first auction on January 17, the business has launched its new website.

Having signed a deal with Easy Live Auction to maintain a high profile online presence, Aloysuis Fortescue and Smyth Ltd is grabbing plenty of attention within the antiques trade for its straightforward 10 per cent for the buyer and 10 per cent for the seller commission.

Click HERE to check out the new website.

Joint owner Vincent Page, who runs the company with Lesley White, said that compares with most auction houses charging upwards of 20 per cent.

He said since Covid restrictions, some auction houses have put their percentages up to "unacceptable rates".

He added: "If you buy something for £100, the auctioneer can receive as much as £60, gaining £30 from the buyer and £30 from the seller, which we feel is an outrageous amount.

"We have seen a substantial increase in emails from people wishing to sell things. Before Covid we used to receive one or two emails a week - now it's three or four every day because ultimately people who have been to their local auction house are being frightened off by the charges and decide to e-mail us instead.

"We just want to create a fairer and less greedy way of doing things and we hope our new auction house which is in the same building as Antiques on High in Silver Street will do that."

Anyone wishing to enter items for the first auction can do so seven days a week by taking the items into Antiques on High from December 1.