The virtual auction hammer will strike on Friday. The first part of the inventory at Cigna's headquarters in Vienna's Palais Harrach changes. There are now 1,114 exhibits on the Aurena auction platform. Highlights include luxury office furniture, but especially Interests like the Signa doormat or snow globe Commands overlap. Now he can too Wine cellar will be robbed.
Glass Cigna: A visit to Benco's office
Anyone interested can visit the exhibits on Thursday. In front of the palace is a large sign indicating the correct entrance. There – with pre-registration and the right time slot only – attendees wait to be admitted with festival bracelets on their wrists.
“Don't buy anything, but I'll look. 1,600 euros is a bit much to beat like this,” says a man wearing his Access wristband. Two men discuss whether or not to bid. Such “a lot of money for symbolic nonsense. Insulting Snowball “It didn't have to be that way. The evening before the auction closed The highest bid for a snow globe with the Signa logo is 550 euros.
You can read all the latest news about René Benko and Signa Insolvencies here.
Inside the office on the red carpet
When it finally begins, several auctioneers lead the group up the red carpet-lined stairs to the office. “I'm in a meeting”, a person keeps an incoming phone call short so he can focus on Benco's offices. You enter the company headquarters through a door decorated with golden Cigna logos. Already applicable here Strict ban on images and sound recordings – Closely supervised by multiple staff members.
At first glance, everything in the rooms looks luxurious and expensive – from the beautiful work to the furniture and the suspended ceiling with indirect lighting. In the first room, it can be a little small, like you are in an office or in the lobby of a luxury hotel. There are stickers with inventory numbers throughout the office to keep track of current auctions. When scanning the QR code on the sticker, an employee immediately interrupts: “No photos, please!”
“It's not usually like that for us anyway,” he says almost apologetically. However, the circumstances of this visit are different and the public interest is high. Those interested without pre-registration should also be turned away. When the misunderstanding clears up, it becomes clear that someone is already bidding 160 euros for the potted plant – two weeks before the auction closes.
Memorabilia from the company
On a shelf, individual boxes are still labeled with their former contents: “Parkapartments am Belvedere” (a flagship project of Cigna Development), “Mahi 10-18” (the luxury department store “Lamar” on Mariahilfer Straße, Vienna) or “St. Bolton/Leiner”. . As you enter the adjacent conference room, a luxurious, sprawling conference table more than eight meters long awaits you. Also up for auction – current starting price: 12,000 euros.
The office space can be seen at one floor height More luxurious, if not more luxurious. In addition to some chic meeting rooms, there are height-adjustable desks, high-quality office chairs, conventional equipment with screens and docking stations for laptops. Last week's edition of the news magazine is on the “News” desk – the subscription has not been canceled yet.
Visitors are ushered into the premises quickly – after all, the group is waiting for the time slot after 15 minutes.
Some highlights from the Cigna auction:
Ridiculous starting prices for small souvenirs
While auctions on many luxury furnishings are unsurprising, bidders are particularly fond of memorabilia with Cigna branding. Five hangings from René Benko's office fetched €240 for one auctioneer on Thursday evening. Signa doormats and a snow globe wowed the audience. Someone offers 2,000 euros for a model of the Hamburg Elbtower.
Desk organizers with pencils and signa pads are also available for €200. At the same time, a small souvenir is available from another bankrupt company. A pencil is emblazoned with the logo of BAI Bauträger Austria Immobilien GmbH – a subsidiary of Cigna Development, which is bankrupt.
Doubt many people want to buy anything here. At the end of the tour, one young man is interested in “what they did here architecturally.” Another was needed “See how Bengo looks at the office”.
But not everyone took advantage of the meeting to visit. One or two notes were made and a cupboard was examined very carefully. If a piece or two from The Office of Rene Benko is still of interest, Aurena can bid on the auction platform.