Bid.com opens European office for co-venture sites

Bid.com, the Canadian Internet auction company, has announced the opening of its European headquarters to push the Bid.com brand and technology across the Continent.

But the company (www.bid.com) looks likely to avoid a branding clash with rivals QXL, eBay and Aucland by seeking to launch co-venture sites with a range of third-party operators, despite operating a stand-alone auction service in North America.

According to a statement, the company will “license its online auction technology to new and established brands looking at integrating online auctions with their e-commerce strategy”.

Aidan Rowsome has been appointed as managing director and president of Bid.com Europe, and will head its Europe-wide sales push from headquarters in Dublin.

The company’s European strategy will be to provide the logistical backbone to a range of niche and mainstream auction sites, according to Rowsome.

“Internet auctions are no longer an innovation for Web surfers,” he says. “More and more businesses are realising the strategic potential of the online auction as a business, sales and customer loyalty weapon.”

Freeserve has confirmed plans to launch an online auction service by the end of November. The company will own 80 per cent of Freeserve Auctions venture, with the remainder being held by US company Auctions.com, which will provide infrastructural support for the project.