Ritchie Bros. to sell its largest number of equipment items ever in one auction

More than 9,100 heavy equipment items and trucks to sell over six days in Orlando, FL between February 13 - 18, 2012

ORLANDO, FL, Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, will sell more items than ever before at its unreserved public equipment auction in Orlando, Florida from February 13 - 18, 2012. During the six-day event, more than 9,100 heavy equipment items and trucks will be sold—a Company record for the most items ever sold in a single auction—and new items are still being added daily. Bids in the auction can be made on-site at the 200±-acre Orlando auction site, online in real-time at www.rbauction.com or by placing proxy bids in person or by phone.

"Our annual Orlando auction is not just a sale, it's an event attracting bidders from all over the world," said Steve Kriebel, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "The auction attracts one of the largest, most diverse audiences of consignors and bidders from around the world. Because of this, the selection of equipment featured in the auction is plentiful and there is something available for all types of buyers everywhere."

Last year's Ritchie Bros. February Orlando auction set new site records for number of sellers and registered bidders. In total, more than 7,700 registered bidders from 77 countries participated in the auction competing for 8,000 items, which the Company sold for nearly 700 equipment owners. Bidders from outside Florida purchased US$145 million of equipment (84 percent), including US$79 million purchased by out-of-country bidders (46 percent).

Online participation records were also broken during last year's five-day public Orlando auction. Of the total registered bidders, a record 3,300 online bidders registered and among them, a record 616 buyers purchased more than US$35 million (21 percent) of used and unused equipment and trucks in the auction.

VIRTUALLY ALL HEAVY EQUIPMENT INDUSTRIES REPRESENTED AT UPCOMING ORLANDO AUCTION

A major highlight of this year's six-day Orlando auction is the thousands of used and unused late model equipment items from manufacturers such as Caterpillar and Volvo, including: forklifts, loader backhoes, wheel loaders, articulated dump trucks, motor graders, motor scrapers, crawler tractors, crawler loaders, pavers, skid steer loaders, multi-terrain loaders and much more.

Here is a current snap-shot of what bidders can expect to view, inspect and purchase over the course of the auction. For the latest equipment listings, please visit www.rbauction.com.

• More than 390 wheel loaders
• More than 380 hydraulic excavators
• More than 290 loader backhoes
• More than 290 crawler tractors
• More than 230 telescopic forklifts
• More than 130 motor graders
• More than 160 truck tractors
• More than 120 articulated dump trucks

Consignments for the Orlando auction are still being accepted; anyone interested in selling equipment and trucks in the auction can contact the Ritchie Bros. Orlando site at +1.863.420.9919.

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 15 - 19, 2011: QUICKFACTS

*Site records broken in February 2011

Orlando, FL - February 13 - 18, 2012: Auction details

• Location: Ritchie Bros.' Orlando auction site at the corner of I-4 & US Hwy 27 (700 Ritchie Rd.), Davenport, FL 33897
• Orlando auction site telephone: +1.863.420.9919
• Date(s): Monday, February 13 to Saturday, February 18, 2012
• Auction start time: 8:00 a.m. daily
• The auction is open to the public; registration to bid is free; a refundable bid deposit may be required
• Interested buyers can come to the auction site to inspect, test and compare items starting on Friday, February 10 at 8:00 a.m.

About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world. Ritchie Bros. offers services that enable the world's builders to easily and confidently exchange equipment. The Company conducts hundreds of unreserved public auctions each year, selling a broad range of used and unused equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. Ritchie Bros. has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including more than 40 auction sites worldwide. The Company maintains a web site at www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at www.RitchieWiki.com.

PHOTOS & VIDEO FOR MEDIA USE: High-resolution photos, including aerial photos of last year's February Orlando auction are available for use at http://www.rbauction.com/photos. A six-month / 37 second time lapse video showcasing Ritchie Bros.' Orlando, Florida auction site in 2009 can be downloaded from YouTube and embedded on media websites and blogs at http://youtu.be/7h7artEjASw. Members of the public and the media can follow Ritchie Bros. on Twitter @RitchieBros.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers