BCA Europe's new chief executive Jon Olsen is pushing ahead with an ambitious expansion plan for the auction group following the retirement of his predecessor, Tom Gibson, earlier this year.

The company is currently developing its fourth German auction near Frankfurt, and a new centre in Bedford, UK. But Olsen is known to be close to finalising a strategy for Spain, with expected auction sites in Seville and Barcelona.

And further growth is planned for the UK. The company currently has 23 centres in the UK, and 14 on the European mainland.

“The requirements for customers in the business of remarketing used cars are set to grow across Europe, and this company has the facilities, experience, and technological expertise to meet those needs,” says Olsen. “We have plans on the drawing board to develop and expand our pan-European network at a number of locations.”

An accountant by trade, Olsen was educated and grew up in South Africa, and has worked for BCA for more than a decade as financial controller. “This is a well-structured company,” he tells AM-online. “There will be no need for any revolution. It is a company that evolves in a dynamic marketplace.”

Olsen believes one of the biggest challenges facing the company is developing the right management teams in mainland Europe, where the auction market is often less sophisticated than it is in the UK.

As recently as 1996, BCA had just three centres in Europe – now it has 14, and Olsen aims to maintain the pace of expansion. He says the growing used car markets of central Europe like Poland or Hungary could become prime targets for BCA.