Sotheby's Holdings, Inc., Q4 2008 Earnings Call Transcript

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2009-02-26 17:55:26.0

Tags: Asset, Call Transcript, Sotheby's, Earnings, Asset Management, Sales Strategy, Operational Planning, Business Operations, Sales, Seeking Alpha

Question-and-Answer Session

Operator

Thank you. (Operator Instructions) And we will take our first question from George Sutton with Craig-Hallum.

George Sutton - Craig-Hallum Capital

Good afternoon to both of you, with respect to the $100 million statement that you made with respect to total costs. Can you relate that to the $21 million of salaries and facility costs that you discussed what that there's obviously a big Delta there. I'm wondering how much of that is specifically related to having less volume running through your system and how much of that might be other?

Bill Sheridan

It's lower direct costs, George, lower marketing spend, lower G&A costs. So it's pretty much across the board. Nothing, we are challenging every cost in the organization. So its all over the place.

George Sutton - Craig-Hallum Capital

All right okay, I appreciate, it's an impressive looking number. Now with respect to what you've said we are on auction that occurred recently and certainly was the success. Could you tell us what you feel you as an organization learned from that in terms of the art market as we stand here today?

Bill Ruprecht

I think George, this is Bill Ruprecht. It's a reaffirmation of what we had already been seeing in the spring and that was really when you got something or rather wonderful to sell and it's properly priced with the great provenance, it's fresh to the market. There is a queue of people who have been active ongoing interest in works of art. There are lot of uncertainties in the world right now and when people think about investing in this asset or that asset or the next asset a lot of the assurances in the sense of confidence that people have had for generations of times of assets are being challenged.

But what you saw in our Impressionist sale, our contemporary sales, Christie's Impressionist sales not their Contemporary sale, but then indeed in the sales very, very significant level of interest. And then when you see something or other it's very special. I think in many cases you can see prices that are unprecedented and as high as ever have been achieved or ever could have been achieved for those great objects.

George Sutton - Craig-Hallum Capital

So, lastly from me, with these points clarity with respect to the market accepting high quality product. How is that impacting your message to both buyers and sellers for the spring auction consignment season?

 

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