In a year of difficult trading conditions, we know that many of our valued dealer readers will be looking at their businesses and considering where they can expand, adapt and diversify.
A prime example of that entrepreneurial acumen can be seen in our lead news story today regarding our friends at Strathbogie Scotland who are branching out with a new venture into a specialist machinery hire service for golf courses and professional sports turf facilities across the north and northeast of Scotland.
As someone who's always keen to progress the dealership, Pete McArthur says of the move, "This is about developing our business for the 21st century." He goes on to explain that the business's investment in the specialist turf machinery complements their growing expertise in robotic mowing technology. Rather than replacing greenkeepers, Pete believes automation and specialist machinery allows these highly skilled practitioners to focus on the work that really matters.
"We're trying to change the way people think," Pete explains. "Just because something has always been done one way doesn't mean it's the best way. Technology is moving quickly and the turf industry has a fantastic opportunity to embrace it."
Pete's philosophy is one of running with new ideas where they work for and with their business. He makes a point of stressing how they are not losing sight of their traditional customer base, as they naturally blend with their growing professional turf clientele.
I would imagine that the gist of what Pete is saying today, rings true for many of our dealer readers. Perhaps the specifics might not be an exact fit for your dealership, but that idea of looking for change or diversification, where it makes sense, will be something that's happening across the network. It's an area that will be discussed at our Conference this December with the announcement last week that a session will be run by leadership and business change specialist Zoë Thompson. Zoë will explore the notion of how dealer businesses can develop a culture capable of dealing with change, with the aim of giving delegates practical ideas they can take away and put into action immediately.
This idea of branching out what the dealership offers was likely brought into sharper focus this summer with the drought conditions experienced up and down the country, impacting both sales and workshop activity. At GroundsFest last week I spoke to dealers and manufacturers alike who had some pretty stark words to describe just how difficult trading had been recently. It's one of the reasons why we're running a short survey today to gain your feedback on how you've found the season.
However, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Robotics has been frequently cited as a bright spot for specialist dealers this year. And with the technology being incorporated into machinery that caters for all sectors that our dealer readers serve, we'd be fascinated to hear if this is something you'd agree with.
Anecdotally we are being told that domestic customers are viewing robotic mowers much more like a pleasurable, consumer electronics purchase, seemingly unaffected by the weather conditions. Whilst in the professional turfcare sector, listening to the manufacturers that are developing these bigger and bigger autonomous machines, sales are apparently going like gangbusters for golf and the like.
So has this new and developing technology been a saving grace this year for your dealership? When we ran a similar survey this time in 2025, several of you told us that with the move from wired to GPS controlled robotics you were beginning to see sales finally take off. With that technology now the norm, has 2026 been the year when robotics went mainstream for your customers?
Conversely, have the weather conditions and other factors such as Internet competition or new routes to market for certain equipment been just too much for your business? Is it impossible to describe this season as anything other than poor?
We'd love to hear from as many of our dealer readers today as possible. The results of this survey will be featured in our November / December cover-dated issue, which is the edition that'll be on the tables when we get to our Conference. It's always helpful at that end-of-term event to see how the network has viewed the preceding season - so do please take a couple of moments to let us know your thoughts. There a few questions and, as ever, space for you to leave your comments. We will endeavour to use as many of your opinions as possible in the magazine.
Thanks in advance for your contributions.
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