Euro Auctions' first Brisbane auction

Euro Auctions' first sale in Brisbane, Australia realised a total on the day of AUS $11 million (approximately €8.9 million).

417 Euro Auctions' first sale in Brisbane, Australia realised a total on the day of AUS $11 million (approximately €8.9 million).

The company, one of the leading auctioneers of used plant and construction machinery in Europe, held the event at the new permanent headquarters for Euro Auctions in Brisbane, and numbered over 350 lots of machinery.

Local interest in the sale was excellent, bordering on "far better than anticipated" for a first sale, with high numbers attending the preview days to try and test machines and equipment, followed by registered bidders on the day exceeding expectations.

Euro Auctions says that with the Australian economy buoyant and mining and construction demanding more and more access to good quality plant and construction machinery, the planning and execution of this sale was a natural choice for Euro Auctions in satisfying the needs of its global audience.

The sale inventory included wheeled loaders, back hoes, telehandlers, forklifts and skid steer loaders, as well as large excavators and dump trucks. In addition, the market saw new crushing and screening plants.

Thomas Overton, country manager for Euro Auctions, Australia, said: "Australians are a sceptical bunch and would have been looking at this first Euro Auctions sale with some trepidation. But I am proud to announce that Euro Auctions did not disgrace itself, in fact the result was the reverse.

"This sale surprised a lot of buyers, sellers and onlookers. Australian buyers are looking for low hours, nearly new machines, which is what we gave them. With the first sale just a few days ago, we are already experiencing good interest in our next sale in June, such is the demand. We now have a far better idea of what the Australian market demands."

Derek Keyes, managing director of Euro Auctions Worldwide, said: "Following this first sale it is evident that Euro Auctions is now firmly in business in Australia. We have always experienced high interest from this region, hence the engineering of this and future events. The Euro Auctions brand is well known in Australia due to a huge ex-pat Irish contingency as well as over 70% of contractors in Australia being Irish."

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