Auction House UK has announced further record results for the first quarter of the year, at a time when the group has also welcomed its third female auctioneer to the team.
Between January and March this year, Auction House offered 1,385 lots and sold 1,058 of them (respective increases of 27% and 14% year on year) - a current success rate of 76% - and raising a total of £145,559,260 in the process (up 2% on the same period in 2022).
Jeremy Prior, the Managing Director of Auction House said: “Other auctioneers around the country would give their right arm to see results like this. But while they are withdrawing some lots and struggling to sell others, we continue to do what we’ve always done – successfully sell more than three quarters of the properties we put under the hammer.
“As for our group of female auctioneers, we firmly believe in identifying and encouraging talent in our teams, regardless of gender. That’s why we are so proud to have three women wielding the gavel, who are amongst the best in the country, and now set an example which the rest of the industry should follow.”
The three women concerned are Sally Smith and Sara Herbert (both working in Coventry and Warwickshire) and – hosting her first auction this month - Olivia Boulting in the Southwest of England.
Sally Smith said: “I love the energy and passion of an auction. The first time I picked up the hammer, I felt totally exhilarated. It was so exciting, and I got the bug. I knew it was something I wanted to do again.
“It is a tremendously rewarding career and I would love to see more women coming into the field. Hopefully, one day in the near future, women auctioneers will be commonplace and even recognised for bringing a feminine approach to the business.”
With more than a dozen years in the property industry, Olivia Boulting joined Auction House South West in March 2021 as Area Manager. She has a strong background in valuing and selling property throughout the region and was drawn to the unique sales process that auctions provide.
She said: “I’ve always had a passion for property and thrive on providing the best possible solution for my clients when a guaranteed sale is required - something for which auction works extremely well. As auctioneering is a predominantly male role, we need to continue to shift the stereotypes and get more female faces out there.”
Jeremy Prior also added: “Auctioneering has always been a male-dominated industry. Even today, there are very few female auctioneers in the country. There’s absolutely no reason why this should still be the case and we are determined to continue in bringing new talent from within our teams, to front our property sales throughout the UK.”
