The UK arm of an Irish digital property auction house that runs online auctions of commercial and residential property, and bought the UK auctioneer Andrews & Robertson in 2018.
BidX1 runs online property auctions, and describes its platform as a digital property marketplace. In the UK, sellers such as councils, housing associations, utilities, banks and private owners can offer homes, land and commercial buildings, and buyers bid over the internet rather than in a room. The platform shows bids as they happen with an indicator of whether the guide price has been met, and after the sale BidX1 exchanges contracts on behalf of both sides. Its business is built around the idea that an online sale can reach many more buyers than a single auction room can. Its February 2020 UK auction, for example, drew a catalogue view count of over 111,000 from people in 53 countries.
BidX1 started as an Irish firm. A January 2018 report described it as Ireland's largest property auction house, led by managing director Stephen McCarthy, who is named as its founder. That month it announced that it had bought the UK auctioneer Andrews & Robertson, keeping the Andrews & Robertson name and its in-room auctions alongside the new online ones. McCarthy said the platform helped "the democratisation of the auction process" and finished with "At BidX1 everyone's invited". The first UK online auction followed on 7 March 2018 with 67 lots. We did not find a formal mission statement.
The UK business grew quickly. In 2020 it reported UK sales that roughly doubled on the year before, with new clients including UK Power Networks, Severn Trent Water, L&Q, the Canal & River Trust and Homes England. It formed partnerships with agents: Foxtons, the London estate agent, in a joint auction programme, and Dedman Gray in Essex. A July 2026 report said BidX1 had reached the top six of the UK's national auction league table, with Simon Bailey as Head of UK Auctions. We could not find a UK office address on the pages we read; the 2018 report mentions London only as the place of the first online auction.
In terms of culture and people, the pages we read give little. They name Oliver Childs as Head of Commercial Auctions, who said the platform offers sellers "transparency, flexibility and data". The company also says it works across several countries, listing the UK, Ireland, South Africa and Cyprus on its site, which suggests a team that works across borders and on technology as much as on property. We did not find independent staff reviews.
The roles in a digital auction house include auctioneers and auction managers, valuers who advise on guide prices, legal and completions staff who prepare packs and exchange contracts, technology and data specialists who run the bidding platform, marketing and client relationship teams, and surveyors for commercial lots. People who like property and technology both can find a home in a business like this. Check its current website to see how it is organised today, because the information we found is from 2018 to 2026 press reports.
Website: bidx1.com
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