5:00 am, July 28, 2015
MANHEIM has made auction history by running the first outdoor offsite auction.
And it achieved a 100 per cent conversion rate at the sale for Citroen UK, selling all 222 cars offered, and an average hammer price of 98.2 per cent of CAP Clean.
A total of 70 buyers took part in the sale, which was held outdoors in a marquee on the banks of the River Thames at Oakley Court in Windsor – many of whom joined virtually via Manheim’s online bidding platform, Simulcast. The auction marked an industry first, and follows the first open theatre sale last year, which was also run by Manheim for Citroën UK.
The auction was made possible, says Manheim, thanks to the company’s Mobile Auction Unit.
Of the cars offered, 70 per cent were sold to physical buyers, with 30 per cent being sold online. Buyers were able to bid remotely using Manheim’s Simulcast system via state-of-the-art Viprinet hardware installed in the Mobile Auction Unit, which is also equipped with a waterproof public address system, TV screen and webcam.
Paul Drake, remarketing manager for Citroën UK, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to have held an auction that was the first of its kind, and could not be happier with the results Manheim achieved, both in terms of conversions and sale prices.
‘We know that time pressures on car dealers are significant, so to be able to deploy Manheim’s Mobile Auction Unit gives buyers access to stock they might have missed in a physical auction.’
Dave Parry, Manheim UK’s online director whose team was responsible for running the auction, said: ‘I am incredibly proud of what we were able to achieve for Citroën UK, building on the first open theatre sale we held last year. The application of cutting-edge technology allows us to get vehicles in front of as many buyers as possible, which helps conversions and hammer prices.’
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