EDMONTON, Alta. – It was a record week for Ritchie Bros. in Edmonton, as the auctioneers set new company records for online sales, bidders and number of sellers at its largest Canadian auction ever and the second largest overall in its history.

From April 26-30, Ritchie Bros. sold over 10,200 equipment items for trucks, tallying more than $240 million in sales and over 16,400 bidders from 55 countries.

“We would like to thank all the consignors who put their trust in us to sell their equipment last week,” said Brian Glenn, senior vice-president of Ritchie Bros. “Our ability to attract more than 16,700 bidders from every corner of the world helped us achieve solid results throughout all five days of the auction. In particular, we saw strong pricing on motor scrapers, crawler tractors, wheel loaders, highway transport and gravel hauling equipment. Of particular note, approximately 46% of the equipment was purchased by Alberta buyers, showcasing the strength and size of this market even when there are economic challenges.”

More than 1,125 companies put items up for auction at the event, including Alberta’s Newcom Earthmovers, which sold over 400 items. Eighty-four per cent of buyers at the auction were Canadian, and 13% were from the US.

“Ritchie Bros. is a one-stop shop—they know the market and they have resources no one can touch,” said Harold Ward, president and owner of Newcom Earthmovers. “We’ve been buying and selling here since we started the company 12 years ago. With the changing landscape here in Alberta we thought it would be a good time for us to sell and we’re happy with the result.”

Edmonton couple Reno and Jane Trentini also donated two classic cars, which were sold for a combined $182,500, with all the proceeds being donated to the MS Society and the Edmonton Community Foundation.