The High Street Auction

What The High Street Auction does

The High Street Auction Co. is a South African multi-category auction house founded in 2010, headquartered in Rosebank, Johannesburg with a growing Cape Town footprint and a stated 11–50 employee count. Its core business is auctioning commercial, industrial, retail and residential properties, including municipal portfolios, tenanted shopping centres, student accommodation and boutique hospitality assets, with single-event portfolio throughputs reaching R900 million (November 2024) and R3 billion+ (Success Academy business rescue). The company expanded beyond real estate via the 2020 acquisition of Bidway Auction House into a Movable Assets division, alongside dedicated Luxury, Fleet and Machinery divisions. Underlying technology is a proprietary digital auction platform accessible via iOS app, Android app and web, supporting simultaneous dual-venue live auctions (Bryanston Country Club in Johannesburg and DHL Stadium in Cape Town), virtual property tours, telephone bidding and online pre-registration for global participants. The company holds seven South African auction records including the most expensive residential and commercial property ever auctioned in the country.

Revenue is generated transactionally: successful bidders pay a 10% buyer's premium plus VAT on the hammer price, sellers pay auctioneer's commission, and refundable bidder registration fees are collected pre-auction. The mandated seller base is institutionally diverse (City of Cape Town, corporate rescue estates, universities, hospitality operators) and the bidder base is a long tail of property investors accessing auctions through direct sales outreach, in-person venue attendance, telephone bidding or the proprietary mobile and web apps. Marketing combines the highstreetauctions.com website, a weekly "From the Podium" newsletter, social channels (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn), director-led thought leadership and event-based campaigns such as the 2018 Mandela Charity Auction with House of Mandela, which earned international recognition from the US National Auctioneers Association. In 2024, Afrirent became a key investor, conferring fully empowered auction house status and unlocking BEE-mandated institutional flow.

Name

The High Street Auction

Legal name

The High Street Auction Company (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://highstreetauctions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The High Street Auction Co. is a South African auction house founded in 2010 that auctions commercial, industrial, retail and residential properties via live, virtual and mobile app bidding, serving property investors, government entities and corporate sellers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Auction Services

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Virtual Real Estate Auctions (Marketplace Platforms) (BPAJAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAB), Industrial Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAC), Residential Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAA), Development Site & Entitlement/Planned Community Auctions (BPAJAEAI), Wholesale Vehicle Auctions (Physical & Online) (TLABAKAA)

Keywords

• Property auction services
• Commercial real estate auctions
• Online auction platform
• Movable asset auctions
• Luxury asset auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bryanston

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission and Buyer's Premium: Primary revenue from auctioning properties. Successful bidders pay a buyer's premium of 10% plus VAT on the hammer price. Sellers pay auctioneer's commission. The auction terms require 16.5% deposit and 45 business days for balance payment.
2. Registration Fees: Refundable registration fees required from bidders prior to auction participation, allocated against payment obligations for successful bidders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The High Street Auction Co. operates a multi-category auction marketplace that auctions commercial, industrial, retail, residential, luxury, fleet, machinery, and movable assets on behalf of sellers to buyers worldwide. Transactions are executed through live venue auctions, virtual online streaming, telephone bidding, and a proprietary mobile app with real-time global bidding capabilities.

Product overview

The High Street Auction Co. operates as South Africa's premier property auction house established in 2010, offering a diversified multi-category auction platform across four main divisions: Property Auctions (core business), Luxury Auctions, Fleet Auctions, and Machinery Auctions. The company expanded in 2020 by incorporating Bidway Auction House to launch High Street Movable Assets, covering classic cars, furniture, appliances, and collectibles. All divisions are supported by the company's proprietary digital auction platform and mobile app (iOS/Android), which enables virtual/online auction participation with global reach. The auction platform supports simultaneous multi-venue auctions and integrates online, telephone, and in-person bidding capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• High Street Movable Assets: Specialist division for movable assets auctions including classic cars, furniture, appliances, mining equipment, and collectibles.
• Property Division
• Luxury Division
• Fleet Division
• Machinery Division

Products and services

• Property Auctions South Africa's premier property auction offering for residential, commercial, industrial, and retail properties. Provides turnkey auction services from lead generation to transaction completion for property sellers and buyers.
• Luxury Auctions

Quantifiable outcome

• Seven South African auction records achieved including most expensive residential and commercial property
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• Bidway Auction HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Market-leading movables specialist Bidway Auction House incorporated into High Street with full staff complement. Bidway's MD Stef Olivier became a Director in the Cape Town division, bringing 30 years of movables experience. High Street's 10th anniversary marked expansion into movables auction market.
• Corporate Business AdvisorysupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorked with George Nell and Gideon Slabbert of Corporate Business Advisory on 'Project X' - the approved business rescue plan for The Success Academy with corporate portfolio replacement value exceeding R3 billion.
• City of Cape TownflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour-year partnership with City of Cape Town for municipal property disposal. Released 13+ properties for auction including prime commercial development in Sandringham Road, Kraaifontein. Set precedent for other municipalities. Properties priced right and in excellent locations.
• Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Adrian Saville (GIBS) co-authors thought leadership content on auction psychology and economics. Featured at SARIPA conference. Adrian holds professorship in economics, finance and strategy at GIBS and is founder of Boundless World.
• House of MandelaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerConducted Mandela Charity Auction in November 2018 as part of Global Citizen Mandela 100 celebrations and inaugural Forever Young Ball. Award-winning campaign recognized globally by NAA. Led by Director Joff van Reenen.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sotheby's International Realty: Global luxury real estate brand with auction heritage through parent Sotheby's. Comparable in the High Street Luxury division for high-end property and collectible asset disposals.
• Bonhams: International auction house with luxury real estate and collectibles divisions. Comparable to High Street's Luxury division on global auction marketing and high-net-worth bidder reach.
• Seeff Property Group: Large established South African real estate brand with national footprint. Adjacent competitor for sellers of higher-end residential and commercial property, with growing digital capabilities.
• Pam Golding Properties: South Africa's largest real estate brokerage network. While primarily a traditional broker rather than auctioneer, it competes for the same seller mandate pool and has been expanding into structured and auction-style sales formats.

Direct peers

• In2Assets: KwaZulu-Natal-based property auctioneer with strong commercial and industrial focus. Direct competitor in the regional property auction market High Street serves.
• Auction Alliance: South African auction house specializing in commercial and residential property auctions with multiple regional offices. Closely comparable business model to High Street's property auction core.
• Aucor: One of South Africa's largest multi-category auction houses, running live and online auctions across property, vehicles, and industrial assets. Direct competitor to High Street across both property and movable asset divisions.
• Park Village Auctions: Established South African auctioneer with diversified asset coverage including property, vehicles, and plant/equipment. Comparable multi-category auction platform structure to High Street's four-division model.

Emerging players

• BidX1: Digital-first property auction platform operating across multiple geographies. Comparable technology-led approach to property auctions, representing the type of digital-native competitor High Street's app must defend against.
• CREATIVE Resale: South African online resale and auction platform. Emerging competitor in the digital auction and used-collectibles space overlapping with High Street's Movables division.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtuuJShc7NuuJPPuKj5bSgg
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-High-St-Auction-Co/300330090077310?fref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-high-street-auction-co
• Instagraminstagram.com/highstauctions
• Xx.com/High_St_Auction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The High Street Auction