This week myself, the Service Dealer and TurfPro team and a considerable swathe of individuals connected to the groundscare industry, visited Stoneleigh for the third staging of GroundsFest.
Straight off the bat, I must say this was the biggest and the best edition of the show so far. We've been told this morning that a total of 9037 were in attendance across the two days. The organisers must be praised for putting on such a vibrant show, that was clearly satisfying both visitors and exhibitors alike. I only heard enthusiastic words from everyone I spoke to across the two days - whether they were punters who'd come through the gates to have a look around or stand-holders there to meet customers, colleagues and peers. The show managed to generate that all-ellusive buzz that every trade event would desire to be known for.
I also think that this year the show really lived up to the Fest element of its name - and not just with the DJs, bands and social event after the show on night one. On top of this, I certainly felt as I walked around the showground, inside and out, that there was an atmosphere that I'm not sure I've experienced too often at a trade event - fun. There was an undeniably pleasant, upbeat, happy vibe to the place. Of course business was being discussed, but it seemed to me that it was very much taking place with a smile on everyone's face.
Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke with the team from Buxtons
As you walked around there was music from plenty of stands, food and drink were being shared by many, there were lots games and hands-on demos on offer - all of which helped create a unique feeling at a UK trade show. It certainly helped that the weather played its part - at least until the show was almost over! But whilst the sun shone, the value of an outdoor exhibition couldn't have been more clearly illustrated.
There were more exhibitors there than ever before (I'm told around a hundred on top of last year) and many of the returning companies had opted for larger, more elaborate stands. It was fantastic to see just what great efforts many had made, all of which contributed to the overall impressive effect of the show's footprint. Add to this neat additions like the Machinery Nation Live arena and the exciting spectacle that is lawnmower racing, and it's fairly easy to see why a day or two's visit to Stoneleigh is increasing its appeal.
Whilst satisfying both end-user visitors and manufacturer exhibitors, the show has also become a destination for many dealers to catch up with their suppliers. With several companies featuring dealer hubs on their stands, I feel the network was in attendance in good numbers.
Speaking to a bunch of our dealer readers who I bumped into on our stand and around the show, I heard many similar assessments of how this season has been - and frankly, that would be best described as bloody tough! I was told that with the weather we've experienced, sales on the whole have been sluggish and equally service has faced its struggles through customers simply not using their machinery much. As a consequence, it sounds like there's a lot stock in dealerships around the country - with concerns now being voiced about the upcoming winter stocking demands. This combined with just how hard it is to run a small business right now, has made for a challenging time.
But despite this, the dealers I spoke to remained optimistic. Perhaps enthused by new products they'd seen around the show or conversations they'd had with their suppliers and each other, everyone I had the pleasure of speaking with were in good spirits. That famed dealer resilience was clearly on display.
I did bump into one dealer in particular who has been showing plenty of resilience this year above and beyond the norm, who for a change wasn't wearing battered trainers and a running kit. Jason Nettle of Winchester Garden Machinery seemed to be doing pretty good for a dude who has already run eight marathons so far in 2025 - and still has another four to come! What he has been putting his body through for charitable causes this year is nothing short of remarkable. He was telling me how delighted he has been with what he's raised so far, but how he really wants the industry to get behind him for his final push.
Keith Christian with Jason Nettle
He is still looking for any manufacturers or suppliers to offer their sponsorship for his remaining challenges and I know he'd love as many members of the dealer network as possible to pledge their support to his Just Giving page. So please do get behind Jason as he completes this crazy endeavour. He's doing something really quite special, I think.
Around the show
We'll cover some specific product news from GroundsFest in some more detail in the next edition of Service Dealer magazine, but in the meantime, here's some highlights from around the show of interest to our dealer readers:
AL-KO Weibang showcased a remarkable amount of new machines on their stand that appeared to be always incredibly busy with both dealers and end-users keen to learn more. Almost too numerous to mention, but generating interest were a a zero turn that was a first for the brand; a new dual voltage battery platform; a Solo range of five new entry level mowers; and the Vision robotic mowers. In total there were something like 35-40 new launches taking place at the show I believe - which is undeniably impressive.
We'll have a lot more about AL-KO and their future plans for their dealer partners, who they stressed to me are utterly vital to their on-going success, with an in-depth Q&A article in the next edition of the magazine.
Husqvarna had a full range on show, with their robotic solutions in particular gaining ever increasing attention from the professional end-users in attendance. Jonathan Snowball explained how their 535AWD Epos for example, which can operate on 70% slopes, has exploded in popularity amongst commercial customers. He explained that the past two years has seen more and more golf customers look to autonomous methods for looking after their courses - especially since they are able to witness plenty of real-life examples on neighbouring courses.
Kress topped their two stands from last year, by going one further with two sizable outside demonstration areas plus an indoor exhibit. I caught up with Jim Kirkwood on one of their demo plots where they were showing a new autonomous mower, the Voyager KR800. The unit is intended to be transferred by landscaper contractors from site to site, where it can then drive itself off the trailer and get on with mowing large areas of grass. The machine which can also be used as a manual ride-on, will be out next February, with extensive on-site testing currently taking place worldwide. Jim told me their dealers are "chomping at the bit" to get hold of the machines which offers something new to the market.
Toro UK who were displaying their wide-range of machines alongside those distributed in the UK by Reesink, also took the opportunity the show off to dealers a new showroom concept. Emphasising the opportunities in stocking an increased range of branded merchandise, heavily featuring the 'bullhorns' logo, the dealers could see for themselves how a shop-in-shop experience could work for their premises. I was told that the extensive numbers of their dealers that had visited the stand over the couple of days had appreciated seeing this range of merchandise perhaps for the first time.
Cramer's John McGrady told me how the company are settling into their brand new offices and wearhousing facilities in Coleshill, Birmingham. He explained how their dealer network is growing, with the company mindful to protect territory and profit margins for their partners. On the stand were new battery-powered chainsaws, a brushcutter, a more powerful blower, a new Optimus zero turn plus the promise of new robotic solutions in a variety of sizes to come later this year.
EGO on their centrally located plot, were showing off what they described to me as their huge investment in new robot mowers. Due in dealerships in early '26, the Aura-R2 models feature what the company is calling Path IQ - combining the use of RTK and a camera capable of depth perception to guarantee continuos navigation. The three units which can cut 1500, 3000 and 6000 square metres, will be fully supported for dealers with in-store P.O.S, I was told.
STIHL's prominently located stand always seemed busy with visitors checking out new machinery - as well as giving attention to the new multiple battery-charging system. I heard that with the ability to charge many batteries a hot topic for professional teams making the conversion to battery kit, a solution like the CM8 is an important development to aid that transition. A potential 32 batteries could be recharged safely overnight using the system.
Stiga who invited their dealer partners to join them on their impressively huge stand were using the show to mark their entry into the professional market. Key to this was their brand new large format robot mower - that won the show's Innovation Award for Best Grass Cutting Equipment. I was told that the unit can run for 6 hours on a full charge, cutting up to 27,000 square metres and is equipped with a full suite of object detection and proximity sensors plus an integrated camera.
Boss ORV were showing their Aodes range, with md Phil Everett telling me that customers can't get enough of the Chinese-built petrol-powered utility vehicles. He described the units as appealing to customers due to their quality of engineering and value for money - with their dealer network always growing. Also on their stand were the Yanmar range of tractors, which Phil said they are concentrating building their nationwide dealer network for.
Cobra were proudly displaying their brand new Fortis 34" mower for professional use, that could either come with an Ego battery-powered powerhead or a Honda-engined version. Peter Chaloner told me just how well received this new innovation had been by the professional end-users in football and cricket who had been testing the unit - and who had demanded that a wider version be produced. The unit benefits from a range of cassettes that can be swapped in and out and the mower can be chosen to be used with a trailing seat or as a walk-behind.
PSD had a new mower from Sabo on show. The MowIt Pro is large area battery-powered machine for commercial use. It has a cutting width of 120cm with a rear discharge deck or 130cm with a mulching deck. MD Chris GIbson said it was particularly suited for operation in parks or any large-scale commercial grassed area.
Price Turfcare, who were proudly showing off the Ventrac tractor, were telling me just how useful a show like GroundsFest is for spreading the word regarding their kit - and not just to the customers on site. They were delighted to be able to demonstrate the Ventrac's capabilities on their plot and to have visitors record video and take pictures of it in action. These images will subsequently, of course, be disseminated far and wide across social media leading to huge numbers of potential buyers seeing what the units can do.
Overton were letting visitors take hold of the joysticks on a new remote controlled mower they had trundling around their demonstration area. Known as the Mowrator, Guy Overton told me the unit had grabbed the attention of many of the turf professionals on site who were interested in its slope handling abilities. Also gaining interest were the new Encore range of electric and petrol zero turn mowers which were turning heads due to their competitive price points.
Makita were delighted with show, they told me, sensing a real buzz about the place. A good mix of turf professionals were seen on their stand they said, interested in their chainsaws, hedgetrimmers, blowers and wheelbarrow amongst others.
Finally, an interesting new development was the Storm robotic mower from Denmark, which boasted that it didn't use RTK, wire or GPS for its navigation - rather it utilised a laser guidance system. The company said they would be slowly expanding a dealer network in the UK.
GroundsFest, for me, really hit its stride this year. I would assume it was days like Tuesday and Wednesday this week that the organisers envisaged when they made the decision to launch a new show for the turfcare sector. So I think a hearty well-done is truly in order. As they plan next year's edition, we and the rest of industry will now look forward to seeing what SALTEX has in store for us all come November.
In the meantime, if you attended this week, please let us know what you thought of the show in the comments below.
