Bidders at Ritchie Bros. auction in Moerdijk purchase over €33 million of equipment and trucks

Company's largest Moerdijk auction of 2011 sets new site record for online sales

MOERDIJK, THE NETHERLANDS (November 28, 2011) - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE & TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, sold more than €33 million (US$44 million) of equipment and trucks at a two-day unreserved public auction held at its permanent auction site in Moerdijk, The Netherlands on November 24 & 25, 2011. Ritchie Bros. (www.rbauction.com) registered more than 1,300 bidders from almost 70 countries, including 575 online bidders that purchased €5.7 million (US$7.5 million) of equipment—a new site record.

The auction featured almost 2,500 used and unused industrial equipment items and trucks that are utilized in construction, transportation, agriculture, mining, material handling and other industries. The items were sold on behalf of over 340 consigning customers.

"The large selection of equipment featured in this Moerdijk auction attracted more than 1,300 on-site and online bidders from countries all over the world," said Guylain Turgeon, Managing Director EMEA, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "Bidders actively competed for the items online through our website and in person at the Moerdijk auction site. In these last weeks of the year, many companies are evaluating their fleets and choosing to sell equipment in our auctions. They appreciate the certainty of the unreserved Ritchie Bros. auction model because it helps them to sell their surplus assets to an international crowd of bidders on auction day."

Ritchie Bros. will conduct more than 30 auctions worldwide before the end of 2011, including five more auctions in Europe and the Middle East:

  • OCANA, SPAIN — December 1 & 2
  • ATHENS, GREECE — December 6 (will be simulcast live at the Caorso auction)
  • CAORSO, ITALY — December 6 & 7
  • ST AUBIN SUR GAILLON, FRANCE — December 8
  • DUBAI, UAE — December 13 & 14

Visit www.rbauction.com for complete auction and equipment listings. People interested in selling or buying equipment at an upcoming Ritchie Bros. auction can find their representative at www.rbauction.com/contact.

 

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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PHOTOS FOR MEDIA USE: High-resolution photos from the Moerdijk auction and other Ritchie Bros. auctions can be downloaded for use from www.rbauction.com/photos.

For more information contact:
Alexander Ypeij, Communications Specialist Europe, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Tel: +31.765.242.600 or email: aypeij@rbauction.com
Or – Guylain Turgeon, Managing Director EMEA, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Tel: +31.65.311.7658 or email: gturgeon@rbauction.com