Euro Auctions break records at Leeds auction site

Numerous records broken including gross auction proceeds and total registered vendors 

EURO Auctions, one of the UK’s leading construction equipment auctioneers, have conducted a record-breaking three-day auction in Leeds. A final hammer total of nearly £41 million was achieved based on a total of 4,738 lots, making it one of the largest single used plant and equipment auctions held anywhere in Europe in recent years. 

‘We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the Leeds auction, which saw a number of records broken,’ said Jonnie Keys, operations manager of Euro Auctions. ‘We are pleased to break the £40 million barrier, but equally we are pleased with the record number of first time registers and first time buyers that attended the auction. 

‘This can be attributed to the massive show of equipment available from around the world and in particular consignments from some of the largest rental companies, including Ardent, Charles Wilson, Lynch and A-Plant, as they continue their aggressive plant renewal programmes. 

‘Also pleasing to see was equipment being sold to all continents which demonstrates the recovery in the construction sector around the world and, in particular, the South American countries which have been slow for a while now.’

With excavators being the largest single category of equipment at the Leeds auction, there were no fewer than 693 machines to choose from; probably the largest number of excavators ever assembled for sale in the world. 

They included: 300 mini-excavators; and 377 excavators ranging from six-tonne to 20-plus tonne capacity. Many were high specification, low hours and late registration models. Also included in the auction were telehandlers, dozers, skid-steer loaders and articulated dump trucks, plus more than 100 wheeled loaders and excavators.

The event also broke site records for total number of registered sellers and bidders, as Mr Keys explained: ‘A record number of 522 vendors from across the globe, including almost 50 first-time consignors, entrusted Euro Auctions to maximize interest in their equipment through our sustained pre-auction marketing and achieve the best hammer prices.  

‘By attracting and presenting desirable lots, we also achieved an excellent turnout with over 2,200 bidders participating from 70 countries – again numbers that are record highs for this auction. Buyers from across the UK, Ireland and Europe again topped the tables but we saw significant added interest from the US, the Middle East and Australasia with almost 1,000 buyers coming from all continents across the world.’