GGM Groundscare and Kubota celebrate a 40 year working partnership in 2017 and have announced that GGM will be expanding their Kubota territory across the North West.
Left to right: Chris Gibson (Managing Director, GGM) & Hilary Gibson (Director, GGM) & Adrian Langmead (Business Development Manager, Kubota)
GGM and Kubota originally joined forces in 1976 when Michael Gibson purchased a horticultural dealer business at Highgate near Kirkham in Lancashire.
Over the last 40 years, the relationship has gone from strength to strength. As part of the ongoing evolution of this partnership GGM has now proudly announced that following Kubota’s decision to part company with F R Sharrocks, GGM have been given the opportunity to increase its Kubota area coverage, expanding operations across the North West region including: Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Lancashire and Cheshire. GGM will take control of this new area from 3rd January 2017.
Commenting on the 40 year partnership and this latest expansion announcement, current Managing Director at GGM, Chris Gibson (Michael Gibson’s son) said: “My father was always looking for new ideas, so when he purchased the business in 1976, it’s not surprising that he soon spotted a new product that would revolutionise the way horticultural growers worked in Glass houses, namely the Kubota Compact Tractor. After discussions with John Croft, the Sales Agent for Kubota at the time, he became the first dealer to sign up and the compact tractor business in the UK was born.
“Clearly all our family are immensely proud of the foresight shown by my father and it’s hard to believe it’s over 40 years since we sold our first Kubota B6000. I’d like to think that my father’s spirit lives on today as we continue to look for new opportunities to stay ahead of the game in whatever we do.
“Kubota has long been a major part of our business and I’m determined that this will continue and we both will go from strength to strength. The expansion of our operations into this new area in the North West is part of that process and an exciting opportunity for our business.”
To mark the 40 year milestone, GGM and Kubota are trying to find the oldest Kubota that originated from Gibson’s Garden Machinery. If you have a ‘vintage’ Kubota then please get in touch.
Adrian Langmead, Business Development Manager for Kubota’s Groundcare Division, concluded: “We pride ourselves on the strength of our dealer network. GGM Groundscare is an extremely established partner for Kubota so we are delighted to be announcing the expansion of their operations into this new area and our 40 year partnership. The longevity of GGM and the fact that it has continued to grow its operation over the years is a good example of a dealer and manufacturer working hand in hand to the benefit of its customers."
For more information on GGM Groundscare, visit www.ggmgroundscare.com or call 01282 860444. Alternatively, visit www.kubota.co.uk to find out about the company’s wide range of tractor and groundcare solutions.
