You may notice there are plenty of 'people' stories in today's Weekly Update - which is just the way we like it, because people are the lifeblood of this industry.

We have new people joining companies, people moving up the ladder, people taking on new franchises and people moving on after many years service. It's stories like these which are Service Dealer's bread and butter. We always want to hear what all our readers are up to, so please do keep us informed.

It's just like you, with your customers. You want them coming in and talking to you about their situations, so you are able to find out about them and meet their needs. It's where independent dealers have always thrived, on that personal interaction.

But is all that under threat?

You may have seen the news headlines yesterday which painted quite a depressing picture of our traditional retail environments, with a committee of MPs warning that city centres could become 'ghost towns'. In fact you might not even have needed to see the headlines, you may be feeling this is an unwelcome phenomenon which you have first hand experience of in your area?

According to the BBC report on the MPs findings, to combat this, the government should "level the playing field" for High Street retailers by raising taxes on online sales.

The MPs also called for lower business rates and more regeneration in town centres. 

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee cited the statistic that at the moment a fifth of UK retail sales now occur online, with that proportion likely to grow. And with that being the case, surely something has to be done to make it a fairer working environment for all businesses?

As we are all well aware, bricks and mortar retailers pay much higher business rates than online retailers because of their greater reliance on physical premises.

The BBC pointed out that Amazon UK's rates, for example, are about 0.7% of its UK turnover, while most High Street retailers pay between 1.5% and 6.5%. It's to combat this that the committee of MPs are suggesting that the government should look again at bringing in an online sales tax.

What do dealers think about this though? Do you think it would have a tangible effect on the purchasing habits of consumers? Would you see a positive effect on footfall through your doors if an online sales tax was brought in?

Many would say that something needs to be done if we are to continue to see actual stores and showrooms on our streets exist into the future - so is this the answer?

Elsewhere in the BBC's report it also talks about increasing 'green spaces' in town centres to make them more appealing to visitors. That's a suggestion I'm sure we can all be favour of because machinery is going to have to be purchased from somewhere in order to maintain those spaces!

But what do you think? I'm sure all of us use the internet to make purchases in our everyday lives. Would you be happy to pay that extra tax if it meant that all retailers had this so-called level playing field?

On the other hand, perhaps you are a dealer who does a significant amount of business online? Does the thought of an extra online sales tax concern you?

It would be great to hear a range of opinions from our readers. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below this article.

Cambridgeshire-based dealership Duxford Hire & Supply is to close its doors next week, with dealer principal Malcolm Evans retiring after 50 years in the industry.

Malcolm Evans and his wife outside the Duxford Hire & Supply premises

Having started the business in 1969, Malcolm said he is pleased to get to his 50th anniversary, but now is the right time to step away.

Speaking to Service Dealer this week, Malcolm said, "I'm grateful to the industry for giving me a living for 50 years and I've made many great friends amongst the dealer community.

"I've been able to travel the world and meet many wonderful people on dealer trips with the likes of STIHL and Husqvarna over the years - but the industry is changing now and the time is right for me to depart."

Duxford, like many dealers had a tough year last year - which was made even more difficult by suffering three break-ins within three months. "This didn't make the decision for me," said Malcolm, "but that sort of hassle does get to you."

Malcolm's eldest son Paul will now be opening a new company in new premises, taking on the servicing side of the business, with a little bit of machinery supply too. The new concern will be called Cambridge Garden Machinery.

Malcolm says he's looking forward to enjoying his retirement and all of us here at Service Dealer wish him the very best.

Oakes Bros. Ltd.,the agricultural dealership covering Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire has appointed a new managing director, Richard Haines, whose duties commenced on Monday 18th February 2019.

Richard Haines steps up from his role of business development director to assume the position of managing director vacated by Edmund Lindley who has taken retirement after 19 highly successful years at the helm of Oakes Bros.

Richard Haines

Commenting on his successor, Edmund said, “Richard is extremely keen to begin his new role and I’m sure he’ll bring strong and fresh leadership to Oakes Bros. for years to come.”

A graduate of Harper Adams University College in 1999, Richard originates from the Wantage area in Oxon. and has strong family ties with Oakes Bros. going back over half a century. Throughout his career, Richard has worked in several key positions at dealership and manufacturer level working in prominent roles within commercial sales and marketing departments in both UK and European positions.

Richard’s career experience also includes several years in farm management giving him the ideal foundation to continue the future development of Oakes Bros.' business operations.

Richard, who joined the company in 2013 said, “I'm tremendously pleased to be taking over the role of managing director. Edmund has been incredibly supportive during my time at Oakes Bros. and I owe him a huge debt of thanks.”

He added, “Edmund will be missed enormously but I welcome the challenge ahead which is to continue the growth and progress of Oakes Bros. after his departure.”

Established in 1825, Oakes Bros. is an authorised reseller of agricultural equipment from New Holland, JCB, Amazone, Kuhn, McConnel and other leading manufacturers.

The dealership operates from four regional depots offering expert, practical advice on purchasing new and used agricultural machinery along with comprehensive aftersales and service packages as well as tailored finance solutions.

Kubota UK has announced that it has partnered with Howard & Sons Exports Limited as one of its newest agricultural dealers.

L-R: Richard Howard, Robert Howard and Ethan Cosma

The family-run business will supply the manufacturer's range of tractor and RTV machinery and provide complete aftersales, parts and technical support to its customers across Wiltshire and East Somerset.

Howard & Sons, based in Marston near Devizes, has been involved in the agricultural industry since 1968, starting as beef cattle and cereal farmers, and today supplies quality tractors, combine harvesters and farm machinery to its customers alongside the farm. In 2006, it expanded its facilities to include a professional spray booth, grit blasting facility, steam cleaning facility, engineering lathe, milling machinery and container loading bay. This investment gave the company the ability to expand in the UK and increase export sales overseas.

The dealership will be stocking a comprehensive range of Kubota tractors, including those in the M-series and L series as well as RTVs and parts. The team have had specific product training over the last few months at Kubota’s UK onsite training facility and will also be able to offer a dedicated aftercare service to their customers.

Rob Howard, service manager at Howard & Sons said, “With Kubota machinery as part of our offering, we will now be able to provide our customers with the latest range of machinery to use on their own farms. We’re excited to be partnering with Kubota to enhance our business in 2019 and beyond and look forward to working with them going forward.”

Rob Edwards, business development manager, Agriculture, Kubota UK, commented, “Howard & Sons is a business which is committed to serving the agricultural industry, using the team’s decades of experience and a wealth of industry knowledge. Here at Kubota, we’re extremely proud of this addition to our dealer portfolio and plan to help develop what is already a thriving business as part of our continued investment in our dealer network. We look forward to working with the team for many years to come.”

Opico Ltd has announced the expansion of its partnership with C&O Tractors to include HE-VA cultivation machinery and SKY grain drills.

L-R: Charles Bedforth, sales manager, OPICO with Dick Spencer, sales director, C&O Tractors

C&O Tractors serve customers across Dorset, Wiltshire, West Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Commenting, Charles Bedforth, Opico sales manager said, “We are delighted that the Opico, HE-VA and Sky brands will be represented by C&O Tractors in the south of England. Operating out of four branches, with a sales team of ten, a fully trained network of service engineers and backed-up by a knowledgeable parts team, I’m certain they will do an outstanding job.”

Dick Spencer, sales director, C&O Tractors added, “We have been selling and servicing Opico grain dryers and grassland machinery for a number of years and have always received excellent backup and service.

"Opico has product specialists dedicated to the HE-VA and Sky brands who will provide our team and customers with first-hand technical knowledge and support and we look forward to introducing our local customers to these excellent product ranges.”

Allett have launched a range of lithium-ion battery powered models known as the Liberty range.

The company has been producing cylinder mowers for more than 50 years and until now, their mowers have traditionally been powered by petrol, with some products also available as electric models

Discussing the new additions, managing director of Allett Lawnmowers, Austin Jarrett said, “At Allett we are incredibly proud of our roots and the tradition associated with our lawnmowers, however that needn’t mean we don’t evolve our offering.

"Battery powered products have significant benefits - not just for the environment but also for users. They are incredibly convenient and offer significant power without compromising on the cut quality that our machines are famed for.”

Available in three different sizes, 30cm, 35cm and 43cm, the Liberty mowers combine the classic 5 or 6 blade cartridge cylinder system with modern lithium-ion technology. The self-propelled mowers are described as being suitable for all small to medium-sized gardens and all feature a rear roller for striping.

The Liberty 30 push mower is the entry level option for small to medium gardens featuring six speed options. A fully charged battery allows for up to 400m² of lawn to be mowed.

Also suited for small to medium gardens, but offering more features, is the mid-range Liberty 35. Powered by a 40V Lithium-Ion battery, it is a 14″ self-propelled cylinder mower equipped with a five-bladed cutting cylinder. This mower is capable of delivering 88 cuts per metre. 

The final mower is the Liberty 43 which is the top of the range model. With a self-propelled feature, steel front roller and double section rear roller with geared differential it also benefits from a 62 litre grass box collection.

A new recruit to the Argo Tractors team handling sales and distribution of Landini and McCormick products in the UK and Ireland has been appointed to focus on parts supply to agricultural machinery dealers.

Stuart Watson’s territory takes in Ireland, Scotland and the north of England, enabling national parts sales manager Tony Burgess to focus on Wales and the rest of England.

Stuart Watson

Adrian Winnett, UK and Ireland managing director for Argo Tractors welcomed Stuart’s appointment: “His career specialising in the parts side of the agricultural machinery business gives us a very experienced manager for this territory.

“Having taken on the distribution of Landini and McCormick tractors in Ireland, we wanted to increase our ability to support our franchised dealers regarding service parts, accessories, lubricants and the other items they sell. With Stuart’s appointment we can now do that while also increasing the attention we can give our dealer parts departments throughout the UK.”

Argo Tractors maintains a substantial stock at its international parts distribution warehouse in Italy, which is backed-up by a near £3 million parts supply held locally at UK and Ireland headquarters in Harworth near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Landini and McCormick dealers also hold stock of the service and other parts most frequently needed by customers, with next-day delivery available to dealer premises when parts are needed urgently.

Stuart Watson said, “Argo Tractors has an excellent online parts finding system that our dealers use to quickly locate the correct items for particular tractor models, and we back that up with our parts technical support staff at Harworth.

“In addition to genuine Argo Parts products and the Argo lubricants formulated for the company’s tractors, many of our dealers also stock a range of parts and accessories for other tractor makes from our partner Granit, as well as merchandise such as work and leisure clothing.”

Stuart is married, has a daughter and lives near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire.

Bobcat has announced changes in the dealers responsible for sales and service of their range of equipment in Yorkshire.

The manufacturer has appointed Grays Machinery Ltd, based in Bedale, as the new authorised Bobcat dealer for North and West Yorkshire.

The company has also extended the area covered by AMS Bobcat Limited, based in Scunthorpe, to include South Yorkshire. AMS is already the authorised Bobcat Dealer for Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire.

Sandy Gray

Sandy Gray, owner/director of Grays Machinery, said, “We are very proud to be appointed by Bobcat. We bring a lot of local knowledge, expertise, experience and enthusiasm to selling and supporting the Bobcat range in Yorkshire. I believe there are many fantastic opportunities to expand sales for Bobcat in this region in agriculture, construction and rental markets as well as many other areas.”

Paul Hyslop, the Bobcat district manager UK North, said, “I am very impressed with the service Grays can offer in North and West Yorkshire. Combined with their familiarity with the local market and their dedication, drive and passion for the Bobcat range, I am confident Grays will be an excellent dealer. The company has proved to be quick off the mark, recording their first sale of a E17 mini-excavator just three days after taking over the dealership.”

As well as the entire Bobcat range of machines and attachments, Grays also offers a full selection of genuine Bobcat accessories and parts to support both new and existing Bobcat customers in its area. This is backed up by a stock of both brand new and second hand Bobcat machines for sale. Customers also benefit from Grays’ on-site service network, covering everything from emergency repairs to routine maintenance.

In contrast to Grays, AMS Bobcat has been a Bobcat dealer for over 25 years. Steve McIntosh, managing director of AMS Bobcat, said, “Congratulations to Grays on their new appointment. We are delighted that Bobcat has shown confidence in us by extending our area to cover South Yorkshire. This is the latest development in the long relationship between our companies and we look forward to many more years of working together.”

Paul Hyslop commented, “We are very pleased to have our newest dealer in Grays and one of our oldest, AMS, working alongside each other, representing Bobcat in different parts of Yorkshire. Both are professional companies that are easy to do business with. Their dedication and reliable aftercare service help to ensure the smooth running of Bobcat equipment in their areas.”

Deere & Co. have reported net income of $498.5 million for the first quarter ended January 27th 2019 compared with a net loss of $535.1 million for the quarter ended January 28th 2018.

Affecting first quarter 2018 results were charges to the provision for income taxes due to U.S. tax reform legislation. Without these tax reform charges, first-quarter 2018 net income results would have been $442.1 million.

The manufacturer has also reported that net sales were up 16% to $6.94 billion. Forecast for 2019 calls for net income of approximately $3.6 billion on sales gain of about 7%. 

In a statement, Samuel R. Allen, chairman and chief executive officer said, “Although Deere has continued to make solid progress on a number of fronts and reported higher earnings for the quarter, our results were hurt by higher costs for raw materials and logistics as well by customer concerns over tariffs and trade policies.

"These latter issues have weighed on market sentiment and caused farmers to become more cautious about making major purchases. At the same time, sales of John Deere construction and forestry machinery have continued at a strong pace. We believe cost pressures should abate as the year progresses and are hopeful we will soon have more clarity around trade issues.

"As a result, we remain cautiously optimistic about our prospects for the year ahead.”

Come and Join the Kubota UK team!

We have an exciting opportunity for someone to join our Parts team as Dealer Manager covering the North of England and Scotland, to develop and maintain a sales strategy to promote profitable sales of Kubota products by working with the Dealer/Distributor network.

Find out more here

Come and Join the Kubota UK team!

We have an exciting opportunity for someone to join our Agricultural team as Product Manager based in Thame, but with frequent travel to other locations, to provide product expertise on specific equipment lines and build long term relationships within our dealer network.

Find out more

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