Firstly I wanted to tell you all that more than ever, the team at Service Dealer is committed to bringing you regular news, updates and support in this extraordinary time. As the voice of the industry we feel responsible to help improve the flow of information and reinforce those links in the supply chain from manufacturer to dealer.

And so we have at SD HQ (well now virtual HQ) already held our first COBRA style meeting and decided to change our approach over this challenging period so that we keep current and relevant to what you the dealer network is experiencing at this time. We are kicking this off by conducting a webinar meeting with some industry manufacturers we are working with this year, discussing amongst other things, the provision of service and parts to keep machines working. We will be reporting on this soon. In our upcoming issue will be breaking from our usual format slightly to make sure the issue has a good balance of industry relevant information relating to the current situation and inspirational stories. To accommodate this we may even be increasing the normal issue size and we are even investigating a antimicrobial sealant during the print process.

I appreciate that it is not “business as usual” but we are all going to have to adapt. I just want to stress that we feel a real sense of responsibility to bring you relevant news and support where we can. I think we work in an amazing industry and on a personal level I am so glad that I bumped into Chris 5 years ago which led to me acquiring Service Dealer. Consequently, I have had the privilege of meeting so many dealers and manufacturers, many of whom I count as friends. So, this is personal. I am proud to be part of a fabulous team, already doing an amazing job, and we are going to step up a gear over the next few months.

Now is a time for us all to work together, whether you are a manufacturer, distributor, service provider or dealer. So please feed back to us and use SD to connect you up. Use the comment section on this Weekly Update if you have something to say or an experience or top tip to share. We are also accelerating plans for a dealer forum on Garden Trader which we hope to announce to subscribers next week.  And of course Steve and our editorial team are always pleased to hear from you.

Very best wishes from the team and me.

Duncan