Cheffins, which conducts the largest monthly sale of tractors and agricultural machinery in the world, is celebrating its 20th anniversary at the Sutton sale ground in Cambridgeshire with a landmark auction on the 5th September.
Over the past 20 years, Cheffins has secured its dominance of the industry on a global basis, attracting sellers from over 100 countries worldwide.
In total, over 70,000 tractors have been sold and over 600,000 lots offered since Cheffins has been in place at Sutton in Cambridgeshire.
Bill Pepper, Director at Cheffins comments: “The past 20 years at Sutton has seen Cheffins rise from strength to strength to now being the leading auctioneer in the second-hand machinery market."
"During the 20 years in-situ, we’ve seen the rise and fall of the Fordson Super Major trade to Syria, the influx of Eastern European buyers as borders fell, the devastation of Foot and Mouth, the astonishing Sudanese trade for the older Massey Fergusons and the introduction of online bidding to name just a few events"
A truly global business, Cheffins has over 30,000 registered buyers worldwide, with regular sales to Spain, Ireland, Germany, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Northern Africa.
Over sixty per cent of lots are sent for export and over twenty per cent of sales in the past twelve months have been sold direct to the developing world.
Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, with questions over exchange rates, export legalities and agricultural funding, the second-hand farm machinery market has remained indomitable.
Cheffins sales have grown year-on-year, with overseas purchasers looking to strike a bargain in the face of the weakening pound.
In fact, sales for July and August 2016 saw an uplift in gross sales of 50 per cent and 75 per cent respectively compared to the previous year.
"Brexit kick-starts export trade"
"Brexit has actually kick-started the export trade with the past two auctions grossing greater profits than they have since 2013.
"Current exchange rates have meant that buyers have seen that they can secure a bargain by coming to the Cheffins sale rather than purchasing in their own countries."
"No other auctioneer in Europe offers such a diverse range of second-hand machinery and often these items present a saving for farmers rather than buying new direct from dealerships."
"A number of the larger tractor manufacturers have reported drops in sales following Brexit, however we can happily say that hasn’t been the case for our markets.”
Dating back to the 1940’s and initially located in the centre of Cambridge, the sale has expanded from a few tractors and accessories to the largest sales of their type with approximately 3,000 lots sold per month.
Such increase in the number of lots offered, necessitated the move in 1996 to the purpose-built 40-acre site which Cheffins now occupies in the agricultural heartland of the UK.
The sale will see circa 3,000 lots and will also feature a new “Drive Through” tractor auction, allowing bidders to see tractors “in action” during bidding.
