Skip to main content

Euro Auctions: from Dromore to many more in 20 years

Euro Auctions is celebrating 20 years since its first event in Dromore, Northern Ireland, on the same site that is now the company’s global headquarters. At the event, a one-day auction, 371 vehicle and equipment lots went under the hammer to aachieve sales close to €1.12 million, said Derek Keys, founder of the business. Euro Auctions expanded into England in 2000 with its first sale in Wetherby where it auctioned a selection of Volvo dump trucks from the Far East. A couple of years later the company acq
December 20, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Euro Auctions marks 20-years since its first auction in Dromore, Northern Ireland
Euro Auctions is celebrating 20 years since its first event in Dromore, Northern Ireland, on the same site that is now the company’s global headquarters.


At the event, a one-day auction, 371 vehicle and equipment lots went under the hammer to aachieve sales close to €1.12 million, said Derek Keys, founder of the business.

Euro Auctions expanded into England in 2000 with its first sale in Wetherby where it auctioned a selection of Volvo dump trucks from the Far East. A couple of years later the company acquired a dedicated site near Selby, Leeds where it attracted over 500 buyers to its first sale and netted just under €8 million.

Expansion followed into the key German market in 2006 and the Spanish market in December 2010. Expansion over the years has also included Australia and the US.

The Wetherby site, too, has steadily expanded in volumes and physical size to the point where auction held there every six-to-eight weeks bring in over €33 million, said Keys.

Some of the biggest items to go under the hammer in the 20 years include a couple of 220tonne all-terrain Tadano cranes previously operated by Hewden Stuart. Each went for almost €813,000 in spring 2017 as part of the epic one-day sale that netted nearly €36 million.

“We’ve also sold numerous lots at under €1,120 each so there is always something for everybody at each of our auctions,” said Keys.

Today, Euro Auctions hosts around 60 auctions a year and operates from 10 sites in seven countries on four continents. Global turnover is close to €450 million.

Related Content

  • bargain hunting, live onsite auction day in Donington, UK
    November 14, 2016
    It’s live onsite auction day in Donington, UK and it’s noisy. It’s also raining in early morning but that doesn’t put off the gathering crowd Buyers are milling around parked machinery. They kick tyres and slam doors. Some are behind the wheel, gingerly nudging vehicles frontwards and backwards or raising and lowering booms. Their partners stand a few metres away scrutinising the machine’s movements.
  • IronPlanet planning UK auction
    October 6, 2016
    IronPlanet is holding a machine auction in the UK for Cat Auction Services. The event will be hosted by Finning UK & Ireland. The auction will take place on Tuesday 18th October at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northamptonshire. The event is aimed at buyers of heavy used equipment from the UK and other international markets. The on-site auction event will also be supported by IronPlanet’s online marketplace, which allows bidders to participate online from anywhere across the globe.
  • Record for construction equipment auction
    February 16, 2012
    Euro Auctions experienced its strongest sale results ever at the recent unreserved auction at its site in Leeds in the UK. With 3,661 lots for auction at one sale, it was a record for the firm, with the hammer price climbing 5% up on the previous high at the site. The sales strength of the auction shows the increasing demand for used plant in the market.
  • Ritchie Bros sets auction record in Florida
    February 23, 2015
    Heavy equipment auction specialist Ritchie Bros set a record for a recent event in Florida. The firm sold over 10,500 items of heavy equipment items and trucks at the auction, held last week in Orlando, Florida. The five-day unreserved public auction ran from February 16th – 20th and attracted over 9,350 bidders who made offers either in person at the event or online. The bidders came from 81 countries while the auction generated over $179 million in gross auction proceeds. This included over $66 million of