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ALSO THE RETURN OF
WATCH OUT FOR AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT FRIDAY!
AL-KO GOES SOLO Acquires German garden products company by Chris Biddle
Pictured from back l to r: Wolfgang Hergeth ( AL-KO), Andreas Emmerich (SOLO), front l to r: Stefan Kober (AL-KO) and Wolfgang Emmerich (SOLO).
AL-KO is strengthening its product range with acquisition of the SOLO range of garden machinery, forestry machinery and sprayers.
Subject to anti-trust law approval, as part of an asset deal AL-KO will acquire the complete SOLO range as well as the associated trademark rights. “The quality of SOLO products perfectly match our philosophy," says AL-KO Board Member Stefan Kober, "and now with the integration of SOLO, we will be strengthening our specialist dealer network."
Andreas Emmerich, general manager at SOLO said: “With AL-KO we have found a buyer who will continue the SOLO brand for gardening and forestry equipment through specialist dealers in our tradition and with our name."
From mid-2014, the gardening and forestry equipment from SOLO will be produced at the AL-KO's production plant at Obdach in Austria, where it currently manufactures lawnmowers and tractors. SOLO will continue with the development of sprayers and cut-off saws from its facility at Sindelfingen.
With the addition of SOLO gardening and forestry equipment, AL-KO says it is aiming for a substantial increase in dealer sales in the future. The existing AL-KO dealer range will be expanded with saws and trimmers through the SOLO products. “We will launch our best quality products under an exclusive specialist dealer brand by combining the best of SOLO and AL-KO. The customers of the specialist dealers will profit from the know-how of two strong brands in one product range”, says Wolfgang Hergeth, manager of AL-KO GERÄTE GMBH.
In the UK, the Solo range has been distributed by Lely UK since 2009. It has already been announced that Handy Distribution will take on the the UK distribution of Solo sprayers (see separate story in this issue). In a letter to UK dealers today (7 March), David Jackman of Lely UK confirms the transfer of the sprayer product group to Handys but adds that Lely will continue to support the Solo range of chainsaws, brushcutters and hedgecutters "until further notice".
Solo was founded in 1948 when brother Hans and Heinz Emmerich developed a lightweight 2-stroke engine. The first sprayers were produced in 1951, followed by tillers in 1957. During the 1970s, SOLO expanded the range into all-terrain vehicles, mopeds and in the 1980's mowers and chainsaws were added, followed by brushcutters and cut-off saws.
The aquisition is anticipated to be completed and formally confirmed by 1 April, after which AL-KO is expected to announce how the Solo range will be integrated into its product range and future distribution arrangements.
