Global equipment auctioneer Ritchie Bros., is marking three decades of operations in Australia with its expected largest-ever live auction in Australia.
Since launching locally in 1995, Ritchie Bros. has grown from a single auction yard into a market leader in unreserved auctions for heavy equipment, machinery and industrial assets.
Ritchie Bros. now operates as part of RB Global, a global business with total worldwide revenues of USD $4.2 billion in 2024.
To mark the 30-year milestone, Jim Kessler, RB Global’s Chief Executive Officer, will attend the landmark live auction event in Geelong, Victoria from June 18-20.
The event will feature over 3500 pieces of equipment, making it the largest auction by lot count in the company’s Australian history, and is expected to attract more than 3000 attendees per day.
The assets going under the hammer are available to view on the Ritchie Bros auction website.
As a special celebration of this anniversary, the event will include a one-off return of Ritchie Bros.’ signature live theatre format – last held in 2019 – with internationally renowned Canadian auctioneers flown in to lead the proceedings.
“Australia is an incredibly important part of our global network in terms of market activity, volume and demand,” Kessler said.
“Our 30-year milestone here reflects the scale and resilience of our local operations, the calibre of our local team and the strength of our relationships with our partners. We’re proud to be here to celebrate as we continue our long-term growth and value creation strategy.”
In 2024 alone, Ritchie Bros. sold more than 15,000 lots across Australia, with strong growth across digital platforms and high-demand sectors.
“We are very excited to welcome our global leadership and invite buyers and sellers to join us in celebrating this milestone auction,” said Dom McGlinchey, Ritchie Bros. Asia-Pacific Sales Director.
“This event is a clear demonstration of the scale we’re capable of delivering and a reflection of the strong customer relationships we’ve built over the past three decades in Australia.”