– First part of Benko’s office furniture under the hammer
Money is urgently needed: the auctions of René Benko’s Signa inventory in Vienna are running until February 2nd. The first two auctions have now ended.
Published today at 5:56 p.m
The interior of the Signa headquarters in Vienna’s Palais Harrach is being auctioned: the “Signa Salon”.
Photo: Keystone, APA, Aurena.at
The first round is over. The first pieces from René Benko’s office space went under the hammer at the Vienna auction house Aurena. Because after the insolvency of Signa Holding at the end of November, whatever is possible is being monetized. In a first step, this means: Signa Holding’s equipment will be sold off.
This includes not only designer office chairs and tables, but also carpets, umbrella stands, lamps and clothes hangers. Unusual items such as a gun cabinet can also be found in Benko’s inventory. A Signa Monopoly board game can be auctioned off as a “special souvenir,” the auction house writes on its website.
A total of 1,600 pieces will go under the hammer until February 2nd, divided into seven auctions. According to the renovation manager’s report, the estimated value of the entire inventory is just over 600,000 euros.
Time is of the essence: Benko’s offices should be cleared by the beginning of March. The rental agreements for the premises in the Palais Harrach and the Palais Ferstl were also terminated. Two auctions have now ended today.
In addition to designer sofas, filing cabinets and carpets, a designer leather office swivel chair from Vitra was auctioned for 1,200 euros; the starting price was 280 euros. A set of clothes hangers with the Signa logo was particularly popular: the bid shortly before the auction closed was 240 euros – with a starting price of 1 euro. And five leather coasters went for 280 euros (starting price 3 euros).
Exclusive wines and 3D building models
Anyone who did not take part in these two auctions can continue bidding until February 2nd. A separate auction is all about Benko’s exclusive wines from the wine cellar in the Palais Harrach: over 330 items can be auctioned off. Including numerous French red wines of the Grand Cru class.
The equipment of the Signa conference room is also currently being auctioned: the “presidential table” has a diameter of more than eight meters and offers space for around 20 people. The current bid is 12,500 euros.
And anyone who wants can secure a prestigious Signa property. Although Hamburg Elbtower Immobilien has filed for bankruptcy, construction of the skyscraper has stopped for now. But the finished tower is available as a 3D building model. Current bid: 2200 euros. The model of the Vienna Park Hyatt can also be auctioned.
Building model of the Vienna Park Hyatt: The current bid is 1300 euros.
Photo: Keystone, APA, Aurena.at
Money is urgently needed: Signa Holding listed debts of 5.26 billion euros in its bankruptcy filing. The provisional list of creditors includes 273 names. According to the restructuring administrator, 46 creditors have so far registered claims totaling 1.13 billion euros against Signa Holding.
The auction house does not communicate how much money the first two auctions brought in. But an extrapolation by this editorial team shows: around 50 minutes before the end of the first auction, the value was 58,420 euros.
More about the Signa bankruptcyMaren Meyer is deputy head of the economics department and has been part of the editorial team since 2019. She writes about the real estate market, retail, work trends and health topics.More information
Found a mistake?Report now.
1 Comment