December 22, 2011–Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Vancouver, Canada, sold approximately $3.7 billion of equipment at 339 unreserved auctions in 2011, a 12 percent increase in gross auction proceeds compared with 2010 and the highest gross auction proceeds in company history.

Ritchie Bros. achieved gross auction proceeds of more than $1 billion in the fourth quarter, the largest fourth quarter in company history. Ritchie Bros. attracted record online bidder registrations and sold more than $1.1 billion in equipment, trucks and other assets to online bidders in 2011, a 29 percent increase compared with 2010 and the highest amount ever sold online by the company in one year.

Ritchie Bros. conducted its final unreserved auctions of 2011 on December 20 in Olympia, Wash., and Nashville, Tenn., and plans to release its full audited annual financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for 2011 on Feb. 28, 2012.