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Lauritz.com

Lauritz.com is an online auction house that each day offers sale of art, furniture and a range of other items on the website www.lauritz.com. They have specialised in modern art and design, decorative arts, vintage clothing and accessories, but also offer sale of antiques, collectors’ items and a variety of other things.

The auction house, originally called Lauritz Christensen Auktioner, used to be located on Søtorvet in Copenhagen and was one of Denmark’s oldest auction houses.1 In 1999 the auction house was renamed Lauritz.com A/S and became the first auction house to convert to internet auctions.2  Today, all auctions take place online and the items are catalogued with description, photos and estimate.

In 2004 Lauritz.com became the largest auction house in Denmark in terms of turnover – and has since gone on to become Scandinavia’s largest auction house. Following the very first online auction in 1999 turnover rose from DKK 20 million to DKK 659 million in 2010. 3

Lauritz.com has 18 auction houses in four different countries, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Belgium, where sellers can consign and buyers can view the auction items. Lauritz.com has around 250 employees, of which almost half are valuation specialists. 4

History

Lauritz Christensen Auktioner was established in 1885. From its headquarters on Søtorvet in Copenhagen a small, traditional auction house evolved. In 1998, the family-run auction house was acquired by Bengt Sundstrøm, who moved the auctions from the physical saleroom to the internet. In December 1999 Lauritz Christensen Auktioner became Lauritz.com A/S and the first online auction was launched 9 December 1999.

Since spring 2000 auctions at www.lauritz.com have been exclusively online.5 In the same way as in a traditional auction house, items are described and valued before they are set to sale at auction. Physical viewing is still possible even though all bidding takes place on the internet, where all lots are presented with description, photos and estimate. Since 1999 Lauritz.com has grown physically from one to 19 auction houses, with eleven auction houses in Denmark, five in Sweden, two in Germany and one in Belgium. 6

Assortment

Lauritz.com offers a wide range of items for sale at auction – from high-end flea market finds to larger international works of art and design or antiquities. The auction house also offers sale of brand new items.

Auction items at Lauritz.com comprise a varied assortment of art, design classics, antiques, jewellery, collectables and more. Lauritz.com sells works from famous names like Arne Jacobsen, Poul Kjærholm, Finn Juhl, Hans J. Wegner, Verner Panton, Florence Knoll, George Nelson, Marcel Breuer, Ray and Charles Eames, Mies van der Rohe and the Castiglioni-brothers.

Traditional and newer auction categories are represented on the website. From furniture to pictorial arts, lighting, silver, antiques, ceramics, porcelain, vintage clothing, sculptures, designer electronics, toys, etc.

Organization

Lauritz.com is an international auction house with headquarters in Herlev near Copenhagen and independently-run partner auction houses in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Belgium.

The partner idea works in the way that Lauritz.com, as owner of the concept, develops and offers its business concept to independent business persons as their partners. In return for a royalty fee the partners run their own Lauritz.com auction houses according to certain guidelines and more detailed contractual conditions.

Management:

Bengt Sundstrøm (Chairman of the Board)

Mette Margrethe Rode Sundstrøm (CEO)

1Lauritz.com – about Lauritz.com

2Lauritz.com – about Lauritz.com

3Lauritz.com in numbers -

4About Lauritz.com

5About Lauritz.com – history

6Lauritz.com - about Lauritz.com -