MOERDIJK, THE NETHERLANDS (November 29, 2010) - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, sold €32 million (US$42 million) of equipment last week at its final unreserved public equipment auction of 2010 in Moerdijk, the Netherlands (25 & 26 November). More than 1,350 people from 69 countries worldwide registered to bid and compete both in person and online for the 2,800+ heavy equipment items and trucks sold in the auction. More than 500 people registered to bid online in real time at www.rbauction.com, setting a new Moerdijk site record for number of online bidders.
“We saw active and competitive bidding on both the internet and in person at our site at our last Moerdijk auction of 2010,” said Brian Butzelaar, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Vice President Europe North. ”With bidders from 69 countries, the diversity of the bidding crowd in Moerdijk was unparalleled and this was reflected in equipment achieving good prices, which resulted in strong returns for sellers. Overall, we had a very productive year at the Moerdijk site and look forward to serving our customers again in 2011.”
Approximately €25 million (US$38 million) or 80 percent of equipment sold in the two-day Moerdijk auction went to out-of-country buyers from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the U.S., Canada and the Asia Pacific region. Online bidders purchased more than €4 million (US$5 million) of the equipment sold. Heavy equipment items and trucks sold in the auction included excavators, wheel loaders, cranes, dump trucks, rollers, pavers, tractors, forklifts, transport trucks and many other items.
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers conducts five auctions a year in Moerdijk. The site’s first unreserved public auction of 2011 will be held near the end of next February. Owners interested in selling equipment in Moerdijk can contact the auction site at +31.168.392.200.
There are more than 80 upcoming unreserved auctions on the Ritchie Bros. auction calendar, including auctions in Italy (December 2), Turkey (December 8) and France (December 9). For a complete list of upcoming Ritchie Bros. auctions, visit www.rbauction.com.
About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world. Ritchie Bros. offers services that enable the world’s builders to easily and confidently exchange equipment. The Company conducts hundreds of unreserved public auctions each year, selling a broad range of used and unused equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. Ritchie Bros. has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 43 auction sites worldwide. The Company maintains a web site at www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at www.RitchieWiki.com.
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For more information contact:
Alexander Ypeij, Communications Specialist Europe, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Phone: +31.765.242.600 or email aypeij@rbauction.com
Or: Vicki Cunningham, Corporate Communications Specialist, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Phone: +1.778.331.5464 or vcunningham@rbauction.com
Or: Brian Butzelaar, Vice President, Europe North, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Phone: +44.132.731.1223 or email bbutzelaar@rbauction.com