Ritchie auction roundup

The unreserved public auctions were Ritchie's largest auction yet (Euro 41 million/US$ 61 million) in the Netherlands and a CA$ 41 million (US$ 38 million) Grand Opening auction at a new site in Canada.
Ritchie opened its new 60 acre (24 hectare) permanent site in Grande Prairie, Alberta with a two-day unreserved public auction on November 24 & 25. It is more than double the size of the site it replaced. More than 3,300 people from 23 countries registered to bid on around 2,220 lots, including equipment for transport, construction, oilfield and mining industries.
About 17% of the sales revenue was from bidders outside Canada. "The international participation at this auction was definitely a highlight," said Brian Podruzny, Ritchie regional manager. "We had bidders on-site from as far away as New Zealand, the U.K. and Hawaii, with active bidding over the internet as well."
The sale at Moerdijk in the Netherlands had more than 3,460 lots, helping to make it the fifth and largest of the year at the Dutch site. It attracted more than 1,510 bidders from 65 countries, including 370 (24%) online, a record for the most online bidders at a Ritchie Bros. auction in Europe. Those online bidders accounted for 10% - more than Euro 4 million (US$ 6 million) - of the total.
"Throughout the year in Europe we've seen an increasing number of equipment items coming to our auctions and also huge increases in bidder registrations; that was no different last week in Moerdijk," said Brian Butzelaar, Ritchie Bros. divisional manager. "We registered the most bidders of any Moerdijk auction over the past five years."