Transactions

About the deal
The members of the Cooperative Association, 48 notaries from Rotterdam and the surrounding area, had approved the intention to sell on December 29 last year. The sale brings to an end a long period of no less than 209 years during which the Rotterdam auction house was in the hands of the Rotterdam notary public. The organization is sold to Wim Moerman.

Description buyer
Purchaser Wim Moerman has been associated with Vendu Rotterdam for over 30 years, first as auditor and the last ten years as co-manager of the Cooperative Association: “I am very proud that I can lead this wonderful institution. My predecessors have built an auction house that has earned its place in the auction business. Together with the team and our transporter Jan den Otter, we are continuing to expand the auction house. The quality and service of our services are paramount.

I am grateful to the civil-law notaries for their confidence that, together with the team, I can safeguard the continuity of the auction house for the coming decades.

Reason for sale
Notary Astrid Fokkema Schute, chairman of the board of the Cooperative Association, says she is proud of what the ‘Rotterdam Notariat’ and the auction house have meant for the city of Rotterdam over the centuries.

When the auction house was founded around 1812, the initiative came from a number of notaries in Rotterdam to jointly purchase premises so that there would be one permanent place where all public auctions could take place: the “Rotterdam Notary’s House”.  In the following 209 years, this Notarishuis grew into a fully-fledged and widely known official auction house: the B.V. Vendu Notarishuis. Then and still the only one in the Maasstad.

The ownership of this auction house is in the hands of a group of 48 Rotterdam notaries. The fact that the 48 individual members thus also bore responsibility for the management was no longer considered appropriate. This was the reason for the Board to seriously investigate the sale of the Auction House when an enthusiastic buyer presented itself.

As the board, we are very pleased that we were able to sell the auction house to Wim Moerman, who has been involved externally with Vendu Rotterdam in various capacities for over 30 years. A buyer with the firm intention, together with the enthusiastic team of employees, to maintain Vendu Rotterdam as a “jewel of the city” and to uphold its reputation.

Role of Match Plan
Match Plan has accompanied the Cooperative Association Notarishuis in the sales process. Think of the conduct of negotiations, the drafting of the letter of intent and purchase agreement. From Match Plan Hans van de Pas and Reg Schreurs sat in the deal team.