2020 National Auction Review

As I sit down to write the introduction to this review, I glance back to the previous edition, with no mention of Coronavirus or COVID-19.  How the world has changed! 

Before looking into the business over the last 12 months, a pause must be taken to consider how the developments over the course of 2020 have affected people’s lives, and we offer our thoughts and condolences to the many families who have suffered the loss of loved ones to this indiscriminate virus.

We set out at the beginning of 2020, with the election behind us, expecting a year with no undue surprises and ambitious hopes to build on our continued growth as a leading National Auctioneer.  By our second auction in early March we had already noted an increase in lots being offered by 10% and had everything to look forward to.  Although things had begun to change, even then we could not predict what was about to unfold before us. 

Like many businesses, as part of a large property group we already had very detailed and documented disaster recovery plans, not that these had ever been tested in a real environment.  It is a testament to such forward planning and the resilience of our teams that we were able to adapt so quickly following the announcement of the National Lockdown on 23rd March, just 2 weeks before our next scheduled auction. 

Plans were swept into force and with all our teams working remotely, we held our first online auction on 7th April, raising over £10m from the lots sold.  Having demonstrated the effectiveness of the online auctions we took the decision to bring in our regional brands all under one roof.  We kept to our schedule of auctions with no cancellations, and indeed staged 3 additional mini auctions during the year to meet client demand.

Whilst we must have every sympathy for other businesses that have struggled to cope, or indeed failed in 2020, I can also look back with pride over what we as a company have achieved in the face of adversity.

Read the full review here