in the category of "what sort of strange plot twist is that?" news, Christies auction co buys Gooding auction co. Why is that a strange plot twist? I shall explain.

 Christies exited selling cars at auction, in 2007, and if that was a good idea then, why are they getting back into selling cars now?

Ok, 2nd bit of strange

Gooding used to work for Christies, and then went into business for himself in 2003, and now he's selling them his company. 

So, what was the point of making your own company then, if you want Christies to own it, or, if you wanted a company of your own why sell it? 

The acquisition comes at a challenging time for the auction industry. Christie’s reported a 22 per cent year-on-year decline in auction sales for the first half of 2024. Less than a month ago rival Sotheby’s also announced an 88 per cent drop in its first-half core earnings and a 25 per cent fall in auction sales.

https://www.ft.com/content/30fe445a-e52b-4da8-b0b8-8c619821c58b