May I start this first Weekly Update of 2025 by wishing all our loyal readers a Happy New Year.

I do hope everyone managed to have a relaxing and peaceful break. I'm sure we'll all be grateful for it once we get fully into the swing of this forthcoming season. With the weather that appears to be heading everyone's way, I'm sure dealerships up and down the country will soon be feeling the knock-on effects via the demands from agricultural and professional customers.

When we look back, as we do today with our annual round-up of our top ten most read stories of last year, I do hope that 2025 brings some more positivity across the dealer sector. It's always a fascinating activity for me personally, when I research and compile this article each January, but I must say, in all my years of putting this together for our readers, I've never had such a downbeat collection of stories make the final ranking!

When you read through it today, a common theme quickly becomes apparent. Last year we saw far too many of our dealer colleagues close the doors to their businesses for the final time. We discussed the whys and the hows plenty throughout 2024. I'm not sure that we ever reached any definite conclusions as to what caused the spate we saw? Theories were posited, argued, dismissed and argued some more. It being the natural churn of a season may have been the consensus - but was there something more worrying, underlying everything?

And I say caused like it's in the past, but we know that dealerships have still been closing recently and presumably will continue to do so as we navigate though this year.

But let's hope that the frequency of such stories slows down and we see stability increase throughout the dealer sector during 2025. I know the tractor sales figures we were hearing in December were far from ideal, but the two autumn professional machinery trade shows generated upbeat buzz and the Service Dealer Conference & Awards certainly saw a raft of positivity amongst dealers and sponsors alike.

This month we have two more trade shows to look forward to, for both the agricultural machinery and professional turfcare markets. LAMMA is up first at the NEC on January 15th-16th - and then in Harrogate from the 21st to 23rd we have BIGGA's BTME show.

Perhaps these events will offer some clearer indications of what the industry vibes are at the start of this new year? As ever Service Dealer will report from both.

But of course, what will always remain our most accurate barometer of what's happening out there at the sharp end is you, our loyal dealer readers. As ever, throughout the course of this year please don't forget that this is your journal.

At Service Dealer, we value and indeed depend on the views and feedback of our dealer readers. Your input shapes the content we create.

So please do share your thoughts on any articles we publish, whether here in the Weekly Update or on our website. If there’s an industry issue or concern that's affecting your business that you’d like to raise with our community of dealer readers, or something you’d just like to hear others’ experiences on - please feel free to drop me line.

Your insights from the front line of the industry will always guide what we cover. That’s why we’re always keen to include as many dealer perspectives and voices as possible. So don't be shy. Keep in touch.

With your help we promise to keep you informed on everything of relevance to your dealershps. Each Friday at noon in your inbox, every other month through your letterbox and all the time via our website and socials, we'll have it covered.

We look forward to experiencing the industry's 2025 together with you all.

The Service Dealer Weekly Update throughout 2024, once again popped into in-boxes across our industry each and every Friday at noon (or as near as possible!).

As ever we reported all news of relevance to our loyal dealer readers. The positive, the shocking, the sad, the controversial and the unusual - all were featured in our coverage.

As has become traditional in our first Weekly Update back after the Christmas and New Year break, we today present the ten stories that received the most opens during the past 12 months. Unfortunately, a common thread amongst many of the stories quickly becomes apparent. 

So without further ado, in ascending order, here's what you read the most in 2024:

 
10.
DEALERSHIP EXTENDS REPRESENTATION AREA - 14th June 2024

Sharmans Agricultural Limited extended its representation for Claydon Opti-Till machinery to areas formerly covered by Collings Brothers, which before their closure had served customers in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.

9.
DEALERSHIP HAS TERRITORY EXPANDED - 7th June 2024

Redexim announced a "strategic re-shuffle" of their partner network that led to an expansion in the coverage area for George Browns Ltd.

8.
DEALERSHIP CEASES TRADING - 5th April 2024

Agricultural and groundcare machinery dealers, Collings Brothers of Abbotsley, St Neots, announced that they were ceasing trading with immediate effect.

7.
DEALERSHIP ANNOUNCES BRANCH CLOSURE - 9th August 2024

MKM Agriculture Limited announced they were to close their branch based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, with md Anthony Deacon telling Service Dealer it was a difficult, but important, decision.

6.
ANOTHER DEALERSHIP ENTERS ADMINISTRATION - 22nd March 2024

Aberdeenshire-based dealers Balgownie Limited entered administration and were trading to a limited degree under the control of Joint Administrators.

5.
UK SUBSIDIARY GOES LIVE - 12th April 2024

After introducing their brand of professional battery-powered tools to the UK through Handy since 2021, Cramer launched its own subsidiary.

4.
DEALERSHIP ENTERS LIQUIDATION - 15th March 2024

Dealership, Suffolk Agri Centre, based in Pakenham, Bury St Edmunds, closed its doors and entered liquidation, after trading for more than 35 years.

3.
ANOTHER DEALERSHIP PERMANENTLY CLOSED - 19th April 2024

Ayre Mowers who were based at Jurby Industrial Estate, in Sulby on the Isle Of Man, were the latest outdoor powered machinery dealership to close its doors permanently during spring 2024.

2.
DEALERSHIP PURCHASED OUT OF ADMINISTRATION - 26th April 2024

Following entering administration in March, it was announced that MacGregor Industrial Supplies (MIS) had successfully acquired the business and assets of Aberdeen-based Balgownie Ltd from administration,

1.
STIHL TO SELL IN SCREWFIX - 28th June 2024

STIHL GB informed their dealer network on June 26th 2024, that from July their electric and battery powered tools, along with a selected range of accessories, would be sold by omnichannel retailer, Screwfix.

G T Bunning & Sons say they have strengthened their team with the appointment of Blair Allan to area sales manager for Scotland, the north of England and Northern Ireland.

 
Blair’s appointment fills a newly created position that the company says highlights their commitment to providing high quality service and support to its dealers and customers. Blair’s background is well suited to the role, after growing up on a family dairy farm near Loch Lomond, and he has held several product support and sales positions at dealers and manufacturers in both agriculture and plant.
 
Most notably, his dealership roles at HRN and James Gordon offered him direct experience with Bunning spreaders.
 
Blair said, “I know how highly the spreaders are rated by the farmers and contractors who use them and my previous experience has helped me get up to speed quickly. I’ll be supporting dealers and customers with their requests, and understanding the product allows me to respond quickly where required.
 
Blair began his role in November.

BIGGA have said they are gearing up for a bumper edition of their annual BTME trade show and education conference, with only a "..handful of exhibition stands available and education bookings at an all-time high."

 
The Association says by early December, stand bookings had already exceeded the overall total achieved for the 2024 edition of the show, while the Continue to Learn education programme has achieved over 1,000 bookings at its earliest point ever. 
 
To date they say, 133 stands have been allocated across 4,105m2 of exhibition space at the Harrogate Convention Centre. In 2024, the total exhibition space was 4,086m2. To accommodate this demand, BIGGA has introduced solutions including the debut of the Industry Launchpad attraction.
 
Industry partners due to return to the event include The R&A, BAGMA, EIGCA, Grounds Management Association, England Golf and the GCMA.
 
The trade show also supports BIGGA’s flagship education initiative, Continue to Learn. Open to anyone working within golf greenkeeping and sports turf management, the programme has already seen 80% of Continue to Learn classes already sold out. 
 
Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO, said, “I’m incredibly proud of the BIGGA team, whose dedication and innovation has propelled BTME and Continue to Learn to new heights. Their commitment to creating an exceptional experience for our members and the wider turf industry has established BTME as a cornerstone of the golfing calendar that is growing in size and reputation each year.
  
Kress will be exhibiting at BTME for the second time, having made its debut at BTME 2024. Kress was recently announced as headline sponsor of the BIGGA Celebration, which takes place on the opening evening of the event in the Harrogate Convention Centre’s Royal Hall.
 
Nicki Jones, Kress Head of Marketing, said, “Kress is dedicated to driving innovation and sustainability in the sector and we look forward to connecting with the talented professionals who make this industry thrive.”
 

To ensure that AI applications being developed by Claas fully adhere to high development standards, the company has joined forces with CertifAI to address any technical and regulatory challenges.

CertifAI is a AI testing and certification company, and through this collaboration, Claas say that not only will this ensure that any developments fully meet statutory regulation requirements, but users can be confident that and AI products have been thoroughly tested and safe to use.

Dr.-Ing. Torben Töniges, head of AI / analytics products at Claas, explained, "At Claas we are committed to ensuring that our agricultural machines conform to the highest development standards. Our collaboration with CertifAI will enable us to deepen this commitment in future. Quality has underpinned our value proposition for over 100 years. The testing and certification of our AI applications is key to upholding this promise in an AI-driven future."

Dr Robert Kilian, CEO of CertifAI, added, "AI testing and compliance with regulatory and technical requirements are not just statutory requirements for companies; they also provide a competitive advantage by ensuring that all customers can put their trust in the safety and quality of AI products

A fleet of new John Deere tractors, supplied by dealership Mason Kings, are ready to ensure Devon’s highways remain safe and passable year-round. 

Pictured in front of the new machines are Peter Endacott, Masons Kings, Simon Kane, Milestone Infrastructure, Dominic Burt, Masons Kings, Ian Hyde, Devon County Council and Tom Vaughan, Devon County Council
 
The highways maintenance team responsible for Devon County Council’s road network has invested in the vehicles which will be used to carry out planned and reactive repairs as well as emergency response services and general maintenance.  
 
Devon Highways and Milestone Infrastructure purchased the 6R Series machines from Masons Kings, who have depots at Exebridge, Chudbleigh and St Columb.  
 
The six tractors were delivered in early December and put to work straight away as Storm Darragh hit parts of the county.
 
Simon Kane, contract manager at Milestone Infrastructure, said, "Our relationship with Masons Kings has been instrumental in enabling us to maintain Devon’s roads efficiently and effectively. These new tractors are a valuable addition to our fleet, with a specification that meets our needs, allowing us to continue providing high standards of service, whatever the weather or season."
 
Peter Endacott, agricultural sales consultant at Masons Kings, added, "We’re delighted to once again support Devon Highways and Milestone Infrastructure with machinery that meets their needs." 

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