Press Centre

Press Release

Online bidding transforming the fortunes of the traditional auction saleroom

London, 11 November 2011

The traditional auction house is going through a secret renaissance thanks to recent online developments that allow bidders from anywhere in the world to participate live in saleroom auctions. The-saleroom.com, a spin off from Antiques Trade Gazette magazine, enables auctioneers to include online bidders into their live saleroom auctions. On average this triples number of participants to an average saleroom (50+) with particular interest from bidders from the USA, China, France and Germany.

To-date, ATG Media the developers of the-saleroom.com, has hosted 5,500 live auctions online and will soon reach knocked down sales to online bidders of £100m. At a time when the economy is contracting this increase in trade has been welcomed by over 200 traditional auctioneers who use the service.

“The-saleroom.com has transformed our business by finding us new UK and international bidders. We now sell over 25% of every sale online to bidders from around the world. This was unthinkable before. Furthermore, its not just about the successful bidders, its also about the huge level of interest the-saleroom.com generates for us globally,” said Stephen Whittaker, Managing Director and Auctioneer, Fellows & Sons Auctioneers.

ATG Media has 40 years experience in bringing auctioneers and buyers together via the Antiques Trade Gazette – the bible of the art and antiques trade. ATG Media is privately owned and    operated as a result of a management buyout in October 2010 from its former owner, Daily Mail and General Trust. The MBO was supported by Matrix Private Equity Partners.

“Were a great example of where the relationship between the management team and the private equity partner has really driven the business forward in the best possible way,” said Anne Somers, CEO of ATG Media Ltd. “We work very closely with Matrix and without them and their enthusiasm for what were doing the-saleroom.com would not be reaching the record sales levels it is at present,” she concluded.

 

About ATG Media Ltd
ATG Media owns and runs the-saleroom.com (Europes premier art and antiques auction portal) and i-bidder.com (Europes leading portal for industrial and commercial auctions). ATG Media is the exclusive international partner for epailive.com (Chinas leading art and antiques portal). ATG Medias technology powers partner sites bidspotter.co.uk (the USs leading industrial auction site), Figaro Enchères (hosted on Frances premier news website) and lot-tissimo.com (Germanys leading fine art and antique auction portal).

Additional statistics

	2008	2011
Number of staff	50	74
Auctioneers who have used the-saleroom.com/i-bidder.com	95	340
Average registration per auction via ATG Medias sites	50	140
the-saleroom.com average registration per auction	65	170
Highest value lot sold on the-saleroom.com	Greek Coin	£125,000
Highest value lot sold on i-bidder.com	Crane	£140,000
Highest number of registrants at an auction via ATG Media’s sites	Bamfords	783

Client comments

“The-saleroom.com has provided new business opportunities to its huge base of auctioneers in the UK and around the world. Were delighted to use its services which have helped us reach a global audience and increase our turnover. Its new international expansion will allow us to reach even more bidders in mainland Europe and China.”
Guy Schooling, Managing Director, Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers
auctions@sworder.co.uk
+44 1279 817778

“The-saleroom.com combines leading edge technology with an unrivalled and growing client base, thus offering a compelling e-commerce alternative to accessing what has historically been an old fashioned industry.  We continue to be impressed by the-saleroom.coms delivery of new buyers, many from a younger and tech-savvy demographic who we would otherwise not be able to reach.”
Stephan Ludwig, Chairman, The Fine Art Auction Group
sludwig@dnfa.com
+44 1635 553553

ENDS
Further information
Richard Lewis 0787 250 7405

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