BONHAMS’ NEW £30 MILLION HEADQUARTERS

In Bonhams’ ongoing attempts to compete with Christie’s and Sotheby’s, the auction house announced plans for a new £30 million headquarters in London, slated to open in late 2013. Architecture firm Lifschutz Davidson Sandiland is designing the structure near the Christie’s-owned Haunch of Venison Yard and Bonhams’ current art-deco location, at 101 New Bond Street. The new space is to have three double-height salesrooms with skyboxes, preview galleries, a café and more workspace for its specialists.

Bonhams CEO Robert Brooks -- who Colin Gleadell of The Telegraph said “has taken on so many former employees from Christie’s that Bonhams is often referred to in the trade as ’Christie’s-lite’” -- announced that the company is “starting to outgrow our existing premises and if we are to fulfill our plans for the future we need a new space to provide our customers with the improved quality of experience we believe they deserve.” If the new building doesn’t propel Bonhams into the auction-world top-tier, at least it will look the part.

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