Euro Auctions, Europe’s leading auctioneer of industrial plant, construction and agricultural machinery, is gearing up for the next auction in Dubai, UAE, this month (March 11), having recently hosted its largest ever sale at its Leeds site in the UK.

The highlight of the UK sale – held from January 30 to February 1, with over 5,000 lots going under the hammer – were more than 750 excavators, making it the world’s largest sale of excavators.

Sales of £42 million ($56 million) were generated after three days, an increase of more than five per cent on the same period in 2018.

“With 750-plus excavators of all sizes and types going under the hammer, Euro Auctions held the world’s largest excavator disposal sale, with brisk bidding and strong prices,” said Jonnie Keys, Euro Auctions operations manager.

But it wasn’t just all excavators at the event. Over three days, machines that went under the hammer included over 320 articulated, site and track dumpers; 300 commercial vans, cars and jeeps; 270 telehandlers; 150 rollers; and over 140 tractors.

The last three Euro Auctions sales have all been record-breaking in some way, Keys said.

“However, this sale had the highest number of lots on record, in addition to record attendances, record registrations and record number of bidders from across the globe,” he stated.

There was special interest in this sale and the reason could be a combination of things, he added.

“Whilst we have a reputation for selling good quality machinery, it may be the tip of the Brexit spike, with consignors and buyers disposing of, or acquiring machinery, before the Brexit deadline. Another factor may be capacity.”

But Keys said whatever the outcome of Brexit, Euro Auctions is experienced in shipping machinery and equipment around the globe for many of its clients, both economically and painlessly. “So our buyers are bidding with confidence that we can help them get their purchases to where in the world they need to be,” he pointed out.

Also, online sales are now constantly between 50 and 60 per cent, with strong interest from Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Caribbean, Asia, South America and North America.

Euro Auctions is expanding the Leeds sale site, increasing the capacity on sales days to line up and display up to 6,000 lots.

The new Euro Auctions facilities will include new workshops, office and main administration centre, auction arena and sales ramp, in addition to a 2,380-sq-m jet wash bay, which will create the largest auction facility in Europe.