Ritchie Bros. launches year-end campaign as buyer demand holds across EMEA

Recent activity on Ritchie Bros. platforms shows buyer demand holding firm across EMEA, giving businesses a route to turn surplus equipment into capital before 2027.

Ritchie Bros., the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, today opens its year-end Finish Strong campaign across EMEA, urging businesses to review surplus and idle equipment while buyer demand remains strong.

This continued demand comes at a significant moment for Ritchie Bros. in the UK, where the company will hold its 100th auction since its first UK auction in October. The milestone reflects decades of connecting sellers with buyers and highlights the role auctions can play in helping businesses turn surplus equipment into capital as they prepare for the year ahead.

At the same time, rising costs and economic uncertainty have led many businesses to hold onto their assets for longer throughout 2026. For those approaching the end of their fiscal year, surplus equipment is one more item to address before the books close. For others, year-end offers a timely opportunity to reassess their fleet and unlock value rather than carry underused assets into another year.

“Year-end is when businesses decide what next year looks like,” says Ghislaine Duijmelings, General Manager at Ritchie Bros. “It is the point when a business has the clearest view of what it owns, what it actually used, and what it will need in 2027. Our job is to turn that view into a decision, with a trusted valuation, a local team that knows the market, and a buyer base that reaches well beyond it.”

Local expertise, global reach

As businesses look to finish strong in 2026, the experiences of sellers throughout the year show the value of planning ahead. For established operators, selling is a scheduled part of fleet management rather than a year-end reaction. In January, UK plant hire company Plantforce, which sells more than 400 machines a year through Ritchie Bros., brought a package of excavators, dumpers, telehandlers and rollers to the Maltby site, most under three years old, with a global buyer audience in view rather than a domestic clear-out.

“We look at renewal as part of how we protect service quality,” says Sam Mercer, CEO of Plantforce.

The same approach applies at very different scales. In Australia, Metcalf Crane Services is bringing its entire fleet of more than 100 lots, including several high-capacity cranes, to buyers worldwide through Marketplace-E after 30 years in business.

In the Benelux, Collé Rental & Sales used Ritchie Bros.’ Early Bird Marketing Package, a dedicated landing page, video and a coordinated campaign, to build buyer interest ahead of its last November auction, where a 2017 Palfinger P260B sold amid strong bidding from multiple markets.

“I bring the machines here and I’m very well looked after,” says Wilhelm Steffens, logistics planner of German landscaping company Grewe Gruppe, a Ritchie Bros. customer since 2019. “I don’t have to worry about anything else. Ritchie Bros. does all of that for us.”

What sits behind the sale

Most of the value in a year-end sale is decided before the sale date. Ritchie Bros. teams handle inspection, appraisal and refurbishment, and arrange transport from the seller’s yard to wherever the buyer is. Sellers who want certainty can use guarantee arrangements or purchase options that convert equipment straight to cash.

Businesses considering a sale this quarter can talk to their local Ritchie Bros. team for an appraisal and an assessment of where their equipment is likely to sell. The campaign runs to the end of the year, with regional market insight and the full auction calendar already published, including Smith Broughton auctions.