This time next week the World Cup in Russia will be underway - and watching the final England friendly last night, something quite weird happened to me. I started to feel vaguely optimistic and began to get excited about the tournament starting.

However out-of-love I've fallen with international football in recent years, it's impossible for me to deny that when major finals roll around, I'm going to get caught up in the hype. And I'm clearly not alone in this. A couple of cracking games and it’s likely the cynics will be won over again and the country obsessed.

Astute businesses are fully aware of this level of interest which is generated by events such as the World Cup and will do their best to cash-in on the public's enthusiasm. Companies directly linked to the competition can gain excellent publicity emphasising their links to the action.

We have a superb example of this today with the news that professional mower manufacturer Allett has provided 185 mowers and accessories to Russian stadia. A fantastic British manufacturing success story, Allett should be congratulated for getting their story out there and making the public aware of how their machines will be helping to provide first class playing surfaces for the world's best players.

I saw their story reported in many media outlets and they even made a filmed piece for BBC Midlands Today (which you can watch here). MD Austin Jarrett tells the BBC that their machines are adding to the "theatre" of the competition. He adds, "We're known for the best stripes on football pitches - so that will be why the Russians have selected our products." Allett also put out a behind the scenes video of the BBC filming at their facility on their YouTube channel.

With my TurfPro editor hat on, I've seen various other commercial turfcare companies publicise the fact that their products are being utilised by ground staff at venues across Russia. Manufacturers who produce mowers, top-dressers, grass seed etc. have all been getting in on the act. And why shouldn't they? It's all great publicity.

But how can dealers capture the mood and make the most of the country's interest? According to business experts, small businesses should absolutely be using big sporting events to boost their profile and hopefully their sales.

The editor of Service Dealer's SME Digest section, Adam Bernstein, says, "There’s nothing like the tribalism of sporting events to get people motivated and this year we’re doubly blessed with both the World Cup and Wimbledon. Dealers could use them to run football or tennis-based promotions, prize draws and even extra promotional discounts each time a home nation or a Brit wins."

Other tips which business experts would extol include making sure you're active on social media during the tournament. As many thousands of people will be watching the games whilst simultaneously engaging with their social channels, dealers could use this as an opportunity to get themselves noticed by potential customers. Sending out congratulatory Tweets or Facebook posts when goals are scored is a start. Then, an idea might be to tweet up-to-the-minute offers prompted by the results.

The experts warn though, as with all social media efforts, remember who your customers are and what is relevant to them. Business website Boost Capital says, "People are looking for something that’s original and useful but be careful to retain your authenticity." Also given as a tip is the idea to integrate your social media efforts with traditional internet channels. Dealers might consider putting prominent World Cup-related links on their website’s homepage through to any products being offered as part of a topical promotion. What is important to remember is that as the event runs over four weeks, you should update social content and pictures as the tournament progresses.

Finally, however many people there are like me who'll find themselves fully caught up in the proceedings over the next month, there will be huge swathes of the nation not interested at all in the World Cup. Retail analysts point out that non-sports fans often take advantage of quieter times during games to indulge in a bit of shopping - and hopefully a spot of gardening. Dealers could target this demographic with online and in-store promotions.

Certainly the upcoming festival of football presents an opportunity for dealers. So why not join in and try to harness some of that interest?

Don’t be like an England player in a penalty shoot out and miss out!

SELLARS, one of Scotland’s largest CLAAS machinery dealerships, has announced some strategic investments across the business.

SELLARS Managing Director Neil Wattie (left) with Field Sales Manager Tommy Malcolm at the new SELLARS Linlithgow depot

Firstly, the Board has taken advantage of the company’s current financial strength to realise the opportunity to buy back a minority shareholding held by CLAAS UK.

By buying back this shareholding, SELLARS will return to being 100% locally and family owned, controlled by its senior management shareholders and the Wattie family.

The company has also announced that it is investing in a service outlet located in West Lothian near Linlithgow, to be opened prior to the 2018 harvest season.

This new outlet, to be called SELLARS Linlithgow, will benefit from being close to the M9 and other major roads, making it ideally placed to provide more localised service for customers south of the Forth. The company says this will benefit existing customers and enable them to expand its business throughout the central belt of Scotland.

“The current strength of our Balance Sheet has enabled us to implement some strategic decisions for the long term benefit of the business,” states Neil Wattie, Managing Director and majority shareholder in SELLARS. “Our investment in Central Scotland is a sign of our confidence in Scottish agriculture and we look forward to providing a high level of service to existing and potentially new customers.

“We are proud that we are in a position where we can buy back CLAAS UK’s minority shareholding, and so return to being 100% locally and family owned, and we are extremely grateful for the support and contribution they have made over the past years.

“Going forward as a main dealer for CLAAS, Lemken, Stewart and many other high quality manufacturers, we will continue to provide a superior range of machines and equipment to our customers, as always backed up by our reputation for offering a first class service.”

Based at Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, SELLARS operates from a total of 7 branches and employs 80 staff covering an area from the Firth of Forth to Invernessshire.

After 52 years, Fraddon based Cornish machinery supplier, Vincent Tractors is changing its name to Vincent Tractors and Plant.

L-R: Paul Vincent, Managing Director and Alec Vincent, Finance Manager

The dealership says the name change has come about to better reflect the nature of the business, as construction sales have grown and now account for a significant share of total sales. The new name is being launched at this years’ Royal Cornwall Show which opened yesterday (7th June) and continues until Saturday (9th June) at Wadebridge.

Paul Vincent, Managing Director said, “Over the past 52 years the business has grown tremendously, from selling reconditioned tractors to now supplying a vast range of agricultural, groundcare and plant machinery. We decided to change the name to better reflect what is a very important part of our business and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to our construction customers.

“We have been supplying Kubota excavators since 2006 and over the past 12 years we have found that due to their reliability, residual value and after sales service, they have become extremely popular in Cornwall. Our plant range isn’t just Kubota Excavators, we are also dealers for Exac-One, Engcon, Geith, Chicago Pneumatic, Epiroc, Husqvarna Construction and Whites Material Handling.

“Here at Vincent Tractors and Plant we find that the three areas of our business, agriculture, plant and groundcare, complement each other and we have no plans to change that,” Paul said

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Visitors to the Royal Cornwall Show are able to find Vincent Tractors and Plant in their usual position near to the main ring on stand 626.

Kubota have launched a new dedicated online merchandise shop.

The new Kubota Shop, which went live yesterday (7th June), will give dealers and distributors from the company's European network instant access to their broad range of clothing and merchandise, enabling inventory to be ordered and managed more efficiently.

Available to agricultural and groundcare dealers initially, Kubota Shop will allow visitors to purchase items from the merchandise catalogue, including branded shirts, t-shirts, polo shirts, cardigans, sweaters, belts and caps, through to more promotional items such as pens, duffle bags, watches and business card holders. The company says the range of clothing and merchandise will be progressively enriched, with branded hoodies and other items in the pipeline.

The new online shop will also enable dealers and distributors to co-brand some items with their own logo.

A consumer Kubota Shop is planned for 2019.

Karen Tipping, head of marketing for Kubota UK, said, “The launch of Kubota’s new online shop is all about adding value to the service we provide our customers. Our dealer and distributor network is the lifeblood of the Kubota business and we are constantly looking at ways in which we can enhance the service we provide them by delivering innovative tools that will enhance their business and brand presence.

“The launch of the new online shop will provide dealers and distributors with a great buying experience and further highlights how Kubota is investing to support our dealers and help them drive business operations to the next level.”

Visit https://shop.kubota-eu.com find out more.

British made Allett Mowers are the choice of the majority of the FIFA World Cup football venues in Russia. Allett is supplying a total of over one hundred and eighty-five units of mowers and accessories across eight stadiums and thirteen official training grounds.

The story of winning the business for the venues even made a filmed piece for the BBC which went out on Midlands Today, featuring md Austin Jarrett speaking on why the Russians selected their products

Allett at Kaliningrad stadium

The process of taking Britain to Russia and winning the mower business for the World Cup venues started about two years ago when Allett’s Export Sales Manager, Dave Allett, made a series of presentations at two seminars and demonstration days. Allett’s Russian distributor Unisaw followed this up by investing in demonstration machinery and carried out more demonstrations at the stadiums and training grounds. Unisaw are a particularly strong dealer and it was the combination of Allett products and Unisaw’s supply and support that resulted in success.

“I recently participated at a wonderfully well-run and attended seminar in Moscow, all organised by Unisaw,” says Dave, “and took the opportunity to present Alexander Markin, the CEO of Unisaw Group, with two awards, one for outstanding sales achievement - Russia was our biggest single export market last year - and the second for service excellence.”

Dave attributes this great British success story to the products being chosen for their ease of use and high performance, which makes them ideal for sports turf surfaces, coupled with the exceptional sales efforts of Unisaw. "We offer a comprehensive solution: high-quality equipment for the care of football fields and constant service support, and our partnership with Allett is a very important part of this. Our company has all the necessary skills and takes great responsibility. We are ready and willing to share this with the stadiums, both before and after the games. Our specialists will work very hard on a special schedule, travelling to the facilities to assist at any time," says Alexander Markin, CEO of Unisaw Group.

The main mowers supplied to the stadiums and training grounds are the Allett C34, together with cartridge accessories, the Regal 36, Buffalo 34 and RM34 models.

Most of the eight Russian stadiums such as Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-don, Ekaterinburg and Saransk, to name but a few, ordered three Allett C34’s and two Regals each. Sochi Fisht stadium has four Allett C34’s, two Allett Buffalos and four Allett RM34 mowers. The Unisaw supplied training fields took thirty C34’s and fourteen RM34’s between them.

FIFA World Cup 2018 Stadiums Supplied by Allett Mowers:

• Rostov-on-don
• Kaliningrad
• Saransk
• Ekaterinburg
• Samara
• Volgograd
• Sochi Fisht

The Lawnmower Surgery in Farnborough, Hants, was the victim of a break-in last week Thursday into Friday (May 31st-June 1st).

Keith Hopkins told Service Dealer, "Nine machines were taken. The main three machines I am concerned about are a Honda HRX426QXE, a Honda HR194QXE and a Hayter Harrier 48 Pro with a top oil leak. All machines were non-workers, apart from the Hayter.

"I know it is a very slim chance that any dealers will have these machines come into their premises, but you never know? I would also be grateful if any dealers have any decent second hand machines like these, as replacements for my customers."

Keith can be contacted on 01252 540232.

Mike Turnbull has assumed the role of the recently retired Nigel Lovatt and takes responsibility for Reesink customers, the dealer network and retail partners located from the north east to the north west of England, or as Mike refers to it “from the Wash to the Wirral”.

Mike is no stranger to the geographical area spanning from Nottingham to North Wales, having covered the same in his 20-year role with Toro Spellbrook.

Mike says, “I was over the moon to accept this role. It is a great position, a great area and I am stepping into the role of a great colleague. Nigel did some fantastic work here and I am really looking forward to continuing and adding to that.”

Mike’s role will see him focus on the grounds machinery ranges from Toro and Reesink and will see him working closely with Jeff Anguige, national sales manager.

Mike continues, “I know this area well as it’s one I used to cover in my position working with Toro for Spellbrook, so to some I will be a familiar face. My background and experience with Toro means I bring with me a lot of knowledge and expertise of the brand, and my two years working with Reesink puts me in good stead too.”

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager at Reesink Turfcare, agrees. “Mike was not only the logical choice for the position, he was also the best. He understands the Toro brand and knows how Reesink works as a company. He has big shoes to fill left by Nigel, but there’s no question he will carry on the good work.”

OPICO has appointed Alan Watt as a new Territory Manager to cover western, central and northern Scotland, adding further strength to the sales team, reflecting the company’s increasing customer base and portfolio of products.

Alan Watt will take responsibility for all the OPICO, Sky, HE-VA, Strautmann and Maschio Gaspardo brands in this area.

Commenting, Charles Bedforth, OPICO UK Sales Manager said, "I am delighted to have taken on such a knowledgeable and respected individual. Alan joins OPICO with a wealth of experience in the trade, most recently at Pottinger."

On his new appointment Alan said, "This is an exciting move for me. OPICO has a wide range of machines from a number of brands, which covers pretty much everything from livestock forage and feeding, to cultivations and grassland equipment, as well as grain drying. I can see new opportunities in Scotland and I am looking forward to getting stuck into the role."

Alan will be based from home in Auchterarder, Perthshire and his contact details are: email: alan.watt@opico.co.uk; mobile: 07535 729659.

The ground-breaking Hands Free Hectare project (HFHa), run by Harper Adams University and Precision Decisions has won the IAgrE 2018 Team Achievement Award.

The project, which uses automated machines growing the first arable crop remotely, without operators in the driving seats or agronomists on the ground ran from late 2016 to harvest time in 2017. It continues this year as the technology is refined and developed.

The IAgrE Team Achievement Awards was presented to Martin Abell, Kit Franklin and Jonathan Gill from the Hands-Free Hectare project by incoming IAgrE President Professsor Jane Rickson at a special awards ceremony held at Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire

This new award is presented in recognition of successful team work and demonstrates what can be achieved with collaboration.

“This is teamwork at its best. Agricultural Engineering is highly multi-disciplinary and the Hands-Free Hectare project is a great example of engineers and scientists working together to find solutions and is in the tradition of our great industry. IAgrE was delighted to celebrate this great achievement which has reached out to enthuse the next generation of engineers and agriculturalists,” said IAgrE CEO Alastair Taylor.

Martin Abell, mechatronics researcher for industry partner Precision Decisions said, “We’re returning, thanks to funding from the AHDB and the continued support from our industry sponsors, to try and increase the yield through increasing accuracy of our machinery and improved remote agronomy. We’re trying to push for a more competitive yield compared to what you see on the AHDB recommended lists and all other trials data available.

“It was brilliant to be part of the team that achieved this world first and to help lay down a marker in this sector. We’ve recently started seeing many commercial organisations coming out with their own autonomous agricultural solutions, showing that there’re working on this. I think we could start seeing autonomous tractors and robots on farms any day.”

New Holland Agriculture, as part of the CNH Industrial group, is now an Official Partner to the Goodwood Estate, the unique sporting estate in West Sussex.

Home to the Dukes of Richmond since the 1690s, the Estate is centered around one of the UK’s finest Jacobean Grade I Listed country houses. Given its vast portfolio of activities, which range from organic farming, a luxury hotel and a gourmet farm-to-fork restaurant through to its world-class motorsport events the Festival of Speed and Revival, golfing and horseracing venues, CNH Industrial say they were a natural choice for the Estate’s varied requirements due to the product diversity of its brands. Also CNH Industrial’s commitment to sustainability was a deciding factor.

Goodwood Home Farm, part of the estate, is one of Europe’s oldest and largest lowland organic farms and New Holland Agriculture is providing a range of modern agricultural equipment - including new Precision Farming technology which will offer the Estate a greater level of agronomic information. The brand’s tractors, combine harvesters, telehandlers and hay and forage equipment are used on a daily and seasonal basis in both arable and livestock environments.

For the New Holland brand, the company says the partnership represents a proud opportunity to showcase the product range in superb surroundings and invite existing and future customers to the Estate.

Polaris Industries Inc. has been named for the first time to the Fortune 500. Making its debut on this prestigious list, the company ranked No. 496.

“Being named to the Fortune 500 is a tremendous honor and a true testament to the integrity, passion, and commitment to excellence of every Polaris employee,” said Scott Wine, chairman and CEO, Polaris.

“Building on the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders and with an eye towards strategic growth, Polaris has spent the last six decades leading the industry in innovation, shaping new markets, and working hard each day to create enjoyable experiences for our customers across the globe. Thanks to the hard work of our employees, the support of our riders and a strong partnership with our dealers, we have achieved this notable milestone, but this is just the beginning, and we are continuing our drive towards an incredibly bright future.”

In its 64th year, the Fortune 500 ranks U.S. companies by total revenues for their respective fiscal years. For more information about the list, please visit 

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