Case History: Inventory Appraisal for Legal and Liquidation Purposes

Movie Production Prop Rental Company

Jonesboro, Georgia

Fortis conducted a rapid, court-ready inventory assessment for a distressed movie prop rental company on behalf of the landlord's legal counsel, enabling informed strategy around property recovery and liquidation.

Situation

A film and television prop rental business had fallen significantly behind on rent at its Jonesboro, GA, facility. The landlord, facing limited transparency and mounting costs, retained legal counsel to explore recovery options. Fortis Business Advisors was engaged by counsel, not the debtor, to perform a fast-turnaround inventory appraisal and evaluate the potential for an onsite liquidation. The scope of work required discretion, speed, and deliverables that could support potential court action and future sale scenarios.

The warehouse held a massive volume of used merchandise, ranging from antique furniture and housewares to "hero" film props. While valuable in the right context, the items were not new, not organized for retail, and the location had no foot traffic or built-in demand. At issue was whether the contents had meaningful recovery value under different liquidation methods, or if a negotiated exit and donation strategy was more appropriate.

Objective

Fortis was tasked with developing a comprehensive, third-party valuation that included multiple value perspectives: fair market value, gross and net orderly liquidation value, forced liquidation/auction value, and pop-up liquidation scenarios. The work product needed to withstand potential scrutiny in court while also guiding the landlord's real-world options. Special care was taken to establish price ranges by category, evaluate local market reach, and determine whether an onsite sale, pop-up store, or bulk sale could recover meaningful value.

Results

Fortis conducted a rapid on-site inventory review and category-level assessment of over 13,000 mixed-condition movie props and furnishings, ranging from thrift-grade items to recognizable film collectibles.

Recognizing the non-retail setting, disorganized inventory, and limited resale audience, Fortis modeled recovery strategies using local demographic data, USPS direct-mail reach, and industry benchmarks from thrift and secondary markets.

Examined if traditional auction or retail resale would underperform due to location, condition of goods, and lack of foot traffic.

Presented multiple liquidation strategies, including: an on-site pop-up store model using regional footfall and average conversion metrics; per-unit resale modeling to project turnover based on typical consumer behavior; a full-market participation scenario to frame the outer bounds of potential recovery; forced liquidation analysis for court or crisis scenarios.

Equipped landlord's legal counsel with actionable insight to support strategic decision-making and recovery planning, without requiring a formal valuation report.