Founded in 1852, the group currently numbers 60 firms that are permitted to hold auctions in its saleroom complex but previously non-members have been excluded.
However, following its AGM of shareholders at the end of September, Drouot Group approved a motion to allow any auction house to hold sales there. It added that “Drouot and its services will be accessible” to “any auction house which wishes it as soon as the authorisation of the board of directors is given”.
After re-electing president Alexandre Giquello for a second term, the group has also pledged to improve its digital offering.
As well as supplying screens and cameras in some of its 15 salerooms, it pledges to improve customer service via a concierge service “providing support to a buyer, from payment to delivery”.
A key development is to group all member websites into a single portal at drouot.com.
Covid-19 restrictions have accelerated the group’s thinking.
“The first half of 2020 was severely marked by the closure of salerooms and the impact of this ordeal required introspection,” it said in a statement. “The result is a new project that should allow Drouot to adapt.”
