ECI-backed ATG acquires Lot-tissimo

22/02/2018
Tom Wrenn
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Topic:
Auction Technology Group Marketplaces Tom Wrenn
Auction Technology Group and Lot-tissimo logos

We’re pleased to announce that ECI portfolio company Auction Technology Group (“ATG”)
has made an investment in German headquartered online marketplace, Lot-tissimo.com. 

Lot-tissimo works with over 250 auctioneers across Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, and Austria to provide the leading online marketplace focused on art & antiques in mainland Europe. Combined with ATG’s the-saleroom.com, the group now provides the leading online marketplace focused on art & antiques auctions in Europe. ATG also owns the industrial and commercial auction focused marketplaces bidspotter.com and ibidder.com.

The investment will enable the combined business to drive ongoing international expansion, and boost investment in technology and marketing, thereby attracting more bidders and streamlining processes to save auctioneers and bidders both time and money.

Already sharing the same Live Bidding Technology, auctioneers will now be able to list and broadcast their sales on Lot-tissimo.com, auction.fr and the-saleroom.com using one single operator app. The combined business hosts around 18,000 auctions a year, selling art & antiques and industrial & commercial items on its leading online marketplaces across Europe and the US.

Recent high-value lots sold on Lot-tissimo include:

  • A painting by Karl Ferdinand Wimar of Indian with horse, sold for €115k in June 2017
  • A WW2 Jagdpanzer self-propelled anti-tank gun, sold for €110k in Oct 2017
  • An Urban Jürgensen & Sonner Grand Complication pocket watch, sold for €120k in March 2017

ECI has a strong track-record of working with the companies we invest in to help them expand internationally. This is the 17th bolt-on acquisition in the ECI 9 portfolio, and the 9th international one.

It is great to be supporting ATG as it grows its overseas business to become the leading online marketplace for auctioneers and bidders around the world. ATG is uniquely positioned in helping develop a market which occupies the space between eBay and Christie’s in terms of price point and is worth billions of pounds per annum globally.

Tom Wrenn

Partner and Head of TMT at ECI Partners

We at ATG are delighted that Lot-tissimo is now part of the wider Auction Technology Group. ATG and Lot-tissimo have worked together for many years and our senior management including Richard Lewis, Anne Somers and Simon Berti have worked with Jorg since 2010. We are confident that this personal connection will contribute to the success of this merger and our combined businesses will be able to invest even more heavily in technology and spend more on marketing to bring even more bidders.

John-Paul Savant

CEO of ATG

Lot-tissimo and ATG have worked together for a number of years and being fully part of their group will enable us to develop further functionality for our clients, and to streamline and integrate our processes. Importantly, the combination of our two companies gives our auctioneers access to a wider, international market, reaching ever more bidders.

Jörg Wisniewski

Founder of Lot-tissimo

About the author

Tom Wrenn

"I’m one of the four Managing Partners at ECI who make up our Investment Committee and run the firm. I’ve spent most of my career working with tech and tech enabled businesses helping them to achieve their global growth ambitions whether organically or via M&A."

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