Ritchie Bros. and Euro Auctions have entered into an agreement under which Ritchie Bros. will acquire Euro Auctions group for an enterprise value of £775 million (approximately US$1.08 billion).
Founded in 1998, Euro Auctions conducts unreserved heavy equipment auctions with onsite and online bidding under the brands Euro Auctions and Yoder & Frey, with 200+ employees in 14 countries. In 2020 the company conducted 60 auctions, selling close to 90,000 items for £484+ million across its nine locations in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Germany, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and the United States. Similar to Ritchie Bros., Euro Auctions also sells items through a timed auction format and a daily marketplace with Buy Now and Make Offer options.
Euro Auctions Founder and Director Derek Keys said, "Dave Ritchie and his brothers were a big inspiration for my brothers and I in the creation of Euro Auctions. We modeled much of what we do off Dave's customer-centric philosophy, which still runs through Ritchie Bros. today. Bringing us together will drive value for customers, as we provide more equipment, solutions, and services to the many industries and regions in which we operate."
Ritchie Bros. will be retaining Euro Auctions employees and its brand, both of which are highly regarded in the EMEA region. This will expand Ritchie Bros.' overall footprint and access to equipment, while also tapping into new revenue streams with service offerings to Euro Auctions customers, including inventory management services, data solutions, financing, warranty, insurance, inspections, refurbishing, shipping, and more.
Why did Ritchie Bros. acquire Euro Auctions?
Accelerates global expansion
Euro Auctions is an ideal and complementary brand to expand Ritchie Bros.' global footprint. This combination will bring choice to customers around the world, facilitating better price discovery and more equipment selection. Euro Auctions has a considerable presence across Europe and the Middle East, particularly in the U.K. and Germany and will serve as a platform to accelerate international growth.
Accelerates inventory management system adoption
Ritchie Bros. suite of tools and digital services will unlock value for Euro Auctions customers post-acquisition. Tools and services include a free business inventory management system from RB Asset Solutions, data analytics tools like Market Trends and RB Asset Valuator, financing from Ritchie Bros. Financial Services, as well as shipping, insurance, warranties, refurb, and inspection services.
Global platform for at-risk
The combined entity will be able to leverage industry best practices and decades of equipment expertise, while providing access to more capital to quickly offer robust at-risk consignment options for customers globally, regardless of transaction size.
