I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in this blog, how the News pages of this Weekly Update have been kept busy both with the ongoing saga of the Briggs & Stratton bankruptcy plus with the myriad of show cancellations.

Well you can now add to that, the shuffling of the John Deere dealer pack!

Today's news that Double A is to buy Nairn Brown and that Burden Bros is to sell to P Tuckwell, follows on from the changes with Netherton taking over from HRN also in Scotland, plus Smallridge Bros extending their Cornwall area after CFM relinquished their territory.

There feels like there's a difference with today's news from Scotland though. With those previous two changes to the network, the dealers no longer staying with Deere subsequently released statements clarifying the move from their points of view (which you can read again here and here).

From the outside however, the story north of the border today seems different to those changes with Nairn Brown saying how lucky they have been to have held the John Deere turf dealership in the west of Scotland for 25 years. Nairn is quoted as saying, "I would like to thank John Deere for their staunch support and help over this time - it has been a pleasure dealing with them."

What these differing styles of statement highlight, is just how important the relationship is between dealer and supplier. It has of course always been at the very heart of how the industry operates, but perhaps with the events of this year, plus with what's to come (ongoing Covid restrictions combined with Brexit), this relationship will be brought into sharper focus - and possibly put to the test more than ever before.

I have been conducting some research amongst dealers around the country for an article I'm putting together for the upcoming issue of Service Dealer magazine. One of the areas I've been interested to hear about from the dealers I've spoken to, is this idea of how they view the support they've received from their suppliers as we've moved through 2020.

You'll be able to read in full when the November/December edition is published, but one phrase that I've had repeated from multiple sources when asked how their suppliers have performed this year is that it's a 'mixed bag'. From what I've heard anecdotally some have stepped up to the plate and gone above and beyond - perhaps the smaller players especially. Whilst some of the others . . well, there have been some disappointments.

An area of concern which has been mentioned is suppliers putting key dealer contact staff on furlough. Not having that crucial support available at the end of the phone, during what's been an incredibly stressful time, wasn't ideal. Also there's talk of some suppliers coming back up to speed quicker than others.

Clearly there is an understanding by the dealers voicing concerns as to why these things happened - but it has caused frustration nonetheless. 

Another concern I've heard, which I have to admit led me to using a thesaurus, is the concept of 'disintermediation'. This is apparently a trend which is being seen increasingly by high street retailers during the time of Covid. Basically it's manufacturers cutting out the middleman and supplying their goods directly to the consumer, mostly via their own websites.

There's no doubt that lockdown encouraged online shopping to increase across the board. We've had people say to us they believe that online retail has come on five years in the space of a few months. And dealers have been quick to make sure their own online offering is performing as it needs to. But do more dealers, especially those of domestic machinery, believe this disintermediation concept is one that offers cause for concern? Is it something you feel poses a threat to your business?

It'll be interesting to hear the views of more of our readers today. How do you view your current relationship with the suppliers you represent? Have they been there for you during these unprecedented times? Or have you felt they could have done more to support your business?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

It has been announced this morning (Friday 11th September 2020) that the board of Burden Bros Agri Ltd, John Deere’s main dealer for Kent, East Sussex and parts of Surrey have decided to sell the business to neighbouring John Deere dealer P Tuckwell Ltd.

Heads of Terms have been agreed and signed by both parties and the process is now underway to complete the business sale over the coming months.

The full terms of the agreement are not being disclosed but the decision by the Burden Bros Agri board has the full support and approval of John Deere Ltd.

This proposed sale does not involve any other businesses in the BB⁴ Group of Companies.

Burden Bros say the intention is that all employees will transfer as part of the sale and the three existing branch locations at Stockbury and Ivychurch in Kent and Framfield in East Sussex will be retained.

“I, along with my three brothers are extremely proud of what we, as a team at Burden Bros Agri Ltd, have achieved since establishing the dealership with John Deere in 2007,” says joint business owner Dale Burden.

“We have built a strong agricultural and turf business throughout the south east of England and come a long way in a short period of time. In light of recent announcements from John Deere regarding their European dealer strategy and recognising some of the benefits scale can bring, we felt the time was right to consolidate the business with a fellow local dealer.

"We have a close relationship with P Tuckwell and share similar values. Whilst it will be difficult to relinquish the reins, we know the business will be in good hands. The combined dealership will be in a strong position to make the future investments required, proactively support our customers, develop our team and continue growing.”

TAP, part of the same group as Service Dealer, has released their Ag Tractor Research Summary 2020 Report - which is now available for download for free.

Shaun Cooper, head of insight at TAP, said, "Following our successful research in 2019, we wanted to see how the Ag tractor market has changed in the last 12 months.

"We launched a survey to Ag dealers back in February through Service Dealer, and since then have gained responses from 63 individual dealerships.

"During these uncertain times, it is more valuable than ever that we share this research with you, giving you the opportunity to get an in-depth insight into some of the industry's key player market performance levels."

TAP recently ran two successful webinars, that covered a variety of market insights revealed by the report. You can watch one below.

Ollie Belt, account executive at TAP, added, "We are happy with the increase in responses to our survey and the general interest in our report. Following the webinars we received positive feedback from dealers and manufacturers.

“We feel that with a greater sample size this year, we have built on 2019’s study and have a more robust set of data across each of the tractor brands featured in our unique research.”

Download the free report here.

The Landbased Engineering Training and Education Committe (LE-TEC) is asking all members of the industry if they want to be part of shaping the industry's future?

The Committee say they need volunteers from various organisations in the industry to make up a working group to review the current LBE sector apprenticeships.

A statement from LE-TEC said, "With the need to review the apprenticeship standards approaching it is necessary to compile a fresh industry representative working group to fully consider all aspects of the apprenticeships to ensure they are representative of and relevant to industry needs."

For further details, interested parties can read the full document on BAGMA's website.

The Royal Bath & West Society has announced the cancellation of this year’s Dairy Show, which was scheduled to take place on October 7th, due to the ongoing global pandemic.

In a statement the Society said, this was an " . .extremely difficult decision to make, though in light of the recent rise in confirmed cases, we feel this is the responsible thing to do. It has become clear that the impact of these challenging times on gatherings will not have abated sufficiently to allow the Dairy Show to go ahead in the way we would want it to."

The next Dairy Show will be held on 6th October 2021.

Alan Lyons, the head of shows at the Royal Bath & West Society said, “Obviously we are hugely disappointed to be taking this decision today, and to have to cancel one of the key industry events in the UK is a great shame, especially when so many others have fallen by the wayside this year. We hope that our visitors, traders and exhibitors will understand that we have a civic responsibility to act sensibly and we felt that with the reduction in numbers of people allowed to meet, cancellation now is the right thing to do.

"This was due to be our 40th anniversary and we had already made some adjustments to the Dairy Show so we will now look forward to welcoming the dairy industry back to next year’s Dairy Show on 6th October 2021.”

Toro has appointed Matthew Coleman as sales manager responsible for growing the LCE and Siteworks side of the business for the UK, reporting into Craig Hoare, sales & marketing manager - UK Direct Markets.

L-R: Matthew Coleman and Craig Hoare

Matthew joins the Toro team from Fuchsia Exhibition Services, a family run business of 40 years, dedicated to events and exhibitions services within the grounds care and construction markets. Fuchsia specialises in the design and construction of exhibition spaces for several top companies in the grounds care industry, including Toro.

Matthew has over 12 years of experience in the grounds care market, importing and distributing zero-turn, stand-on and remote-control mowers around the UK for brands such as Ferris, Wright, Spider and Avant. Combining his technical knowledge and sales management experience, Matthew built a dealer network that has allowed him to enhance his knowledge of the grounds care industry whilst establishing industry relationships.

Now taking on his new role, Toro says Matthew will be a fresh pair of eyes for their LCE and Siteworks side of the business. His main responsibilities in this role will be to educate the UK market on the Toro LCE and Siteworks ranges and how Toro’s equipment in those areas can be an asset in sales growth.

Matthew said, “I’m looking forward to visiting dealers all around the country and becoming a product specialist for the LCE and Siteworks product lines. I’ve joined Toro at a really exciting and poignant time, where products such as the Dingo have huge potential in the UK. It’ll be great to start talking about these products more with dealers.”

Welcoming Matthew to his team, Craig Hoare, said, “I am really pleased Matthew has joined the team and this signifies Toro’s intent to grow within the UK Landscaper, Arboricultural and Construction markets. Matthew has a wealth of experience and is respected within the industry and will be well placed to manage and support our dealer network, ensuring Toro builds meaningful and successful partnerships in the Professional Landscaper market.”

This year Allett Mowers opened up their annual Allett Creative Lawn Stripes competition internationally.

The competition attracted a global set of entries, however the winning lawn featured a tribute to our own NHS. Andrew Wain, head gardener of Euridge Manor in Chippenham who has placed high in the competition for the past three years, this time takes the top prize. 

1st - Andrew Wain, Chippenham, UK

“I first entered the competition four years ago to have some fun.” said Andrew. “Straight lines can get a little boring sometimes and that year I came second so I decided to stick with it. It’s exciting to win at last, for both me and my employer. As a wedding venue, the lawn has become a real talking point among guests.

"This year, with Covid and the NHS being so fantastic I felt that this was my opportunity of saying thank you to all those in all departments of the NHS that have put themselves in harm’s way to look after us. It is also my way of saying thank you to all those in the NHS who have cared for relatives of mine who in the last few years and indeed weeks lost their battles with cancer. So that is where I came up with the idea of the butterfly, to carry the thank you message with an NHS rainbow on each side.

"The Allett creative stripes competition has encouraged me to turn the lawn at Euridge Manor into a piece of art. I encourage anyone to have a go, as it is great fun and adds a whole new dimension of creativity to the garden. I’m over the moon with winning such a fantastic prize and thank Allett for running the competition.”

Andrew, who is a brand ambassador for Stihl, used a Stihl rotary mower and hand trimmer to create his pattern.

This year's judging was done by Edgbaston Cricket Ground's head groundsman, Gary Barwell. Allett are proud partners with Edgbaston and felt Gary's expertise was perfect for the role of this year's judge. An internal vote was done at Allett with the top 6 entries being forwarded to Gary to pick his overall winner.

2nd - Edward Aitken, Cheltenham, UK

Gary said, "The standard was truly outstanding and the time and work that was put into these was on another level it was so difficult to decide but the winner showed craft, flair, knowledge and relevance."

This year's competition saw entries come in from USA, Wales, England, Denmark, Australia, Belgium, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland. Andrew wins an Allett Liberty 43 battery powered cylinder mower alongside the Allett Complete Lawn Care System of six interchangeable cartridges. He will also get 'a day in the life of a groundsman' at Edgbaston alongside Gary and his team.

3rd - William Axmacher, USA

''The rise in international competitors in this competition is in line with the rise in demand our company has seen for our mowers from overseas lawn-fanatics” says Austin Jarrett, managing director at Allett Ltd.

The top three entries in the competition, with Gary Barlow’s comments, were: 

• 1st - Andrew Wain, Chippenham,UK- "The standard was truly outstanding and the time and work that was put into these was on another level it was so difficult to decide but the winner showed craft flair knowledge and relevance."
• 2nd - Edward Aitken, Cheltenham, UK- "Truly outstanding work time and effort needed is amazing."
• 3rd - William Axmacher, USA - "To craft something that totally works from the air is great time and effort"

Vanmac Ltd have announced they are now an authorised full line distributor for the Brouwer Kesmac portfolio of turf and groundcare machinery.

Known in the turf grower sector, the Brouwer Kesmac range of harvesters and pedestrian rollers, together with trailed verti-cutters, aerators and cylinder mowers are now available to local authorities, landscapers and grounds managers via Vanmac in the UK.

Founded by Gerry Brouwer and his son Eric in Ontario, Canada, Brouwer Kesmac is now established worldwide. Vanmac Ltd, known in the UK for the distribution of the Trilo range of blowers & vacs, will offer sales and service support across the full range of Brouwer Kesmac products, along with supplying a vast selection of spare parts - which will be available to order through Vanmac Ltd’s website.

The appointment of Vanmac Ltd in the UK extends the distribution agreement between Brouwer Kesmac and Vanmac bv across Europe.

Vanmac's area sales manager Jeremy Vincent, said, “We’ve been working hard to extend our portfolio here in the UK and are delighted to have added the Brouwer Kesmac collection to our offering. The range compliments everything that we currently offer to customers in the turf grower market and extends our offering to those managing professional turf surfaces.

"Over the next few weeks, we will begin supporting all of the existing Brouwer Kesmac customers and are excited to hit the road and begin introducing the quality range to new facilities around the country.”

Cornwall and Devon groundcare machinery dealership, Vincent Tractors & Plant, has been appointed as a Grillo AgriGarden dealer for Devon and Cornwall.

This means that its branches at Fraddon, Holsworthy and Smithaleigh (Plympton) will be able to provide both sales and after-sales service for both new and existing Grillo customers.

Paul Vincent, managing director of Vincent Tractors & Plant said, “The addition of Grillo to our range of groundcare machines will allow us to offer our customers a wider range of products.

"We have been listening to our customers who have said that they would like us to supply a large out-front rotary mower with central collection. The addition of Grillo will allow us to supply this as they produce an excellent range of machines.”

Etesia UK has announced a 0% interest finance option for customers purchasing a new Hydro 80 MKHP5 ride-on mower.

Customers looking to purchase can benefit from three years’ interest-free finance, two-year commercial warranty, with payments from £35.25+VAT per week before the 30th November 2020.

Etesia UK’s managing director Les Malin said, “We have looked at the best way to help our customers. In these uncertain times, finances are under pressure more now than ever, but that doesn’t change how vital it is to have the correct grass cutting machinery which is built to do the job and last. We are confident that this new finance option will allow customers greater flexibility with their finances, while still able to purchase new equipment.”

Finance is for business users only, subject to acceptance by Etesia UK’s finance partner Golf Finance Limited and only available in the UK.

As the days shorten the focus slowly shifts from the showroom to the workshop. Husqvarna has a range of tools and services that allow you to be prepared in advance of the service season.

With the shift from Petrol to battery the service requirements change as does the hardware required. Conventional petrol products provide a well-known channel for service revenue, however Battery and Robotic products can lead dealers to be left concerned about future service revenue potential.

Battery and Robotic products present new opportunities for service revenue. Generally servicing is less strenuous meaning less lifting and moving of heavy items, machines can be serviced on an oil free work bench at an ergonomic working height. The introduction of computers for diagnostic and software updates introduces a contemporary method of servicing that can be more appealing when attracting new members of workshop staff.

Husqvarna provides dealers with a number of tools that support the service revenue potential of battery and robotic products. Enabling Authorised Husqvarna Dealers to add value to the service that is offered to the customer, the tools also allow improvements in workshop productivity and efficiency.

The Husqvarna Common Service Tool (Battery Series) and Husqvarna AutoCheck (Husqvarna Automower®) are computer based tools that enables routine product functionality and sensor tests, fault diagnosis as well as product software updates on Husqvarna Battery Series machines and batteries and Husqvarna Automower® robotic mowers. It also allows access to machine operating history and enables service notes to be recorded or future reference.

What is included in Battery Series and Husqvarna Automower® servicing?

• Cleaning
• Electronic diagnostics
• Safety function tests
• Product function tests
• Software updates
• Replace wearing components
• Sharpening cutting equipment

All of this can be done more efficiently when comparing against conventional machines thus reducing that servicing bottle neck that can often occur. The service time per machine is often less, which can increase the workshop output per day along with revenue per day.

Husqvarna Automower® robotic mowers are also available with an extended warranty totalling 3 years. For this to be activated the machine must be installed and serviced annually by an Authorised Husqvarna dealer, this drives periodic service revenue as well as profitable revenue from product installation.

To support Husqvarna Automower® growth and the service potential this brings, Husqvarna has available the Automower® workbench. This has been specially developed for the servicing of all models within the range and designed to improve service efficiency. The workbench is supplied with switch box and charging noses and the work surface has inbuilt wiring loops enabling electronic tests to be carried out without the need for the models charging station. The workbench also has a moveable support arm for a laptop computer as well as drawers and tool storage for all relevant tools.

To maintain the high quality customer experience, Husqvarna Welcome Packs are supplied with each Husqvarna Automower®. The pack contents includes a service book, detailing the checks carried out during service whilst recording a detailed service history. The book also highlights the importance of servicing and also acts as a point of contact between the customer and dealer.

To maximise the instore experience for customers and to make your service offer more visible, Husqvarna provide a service menu. The board is designed to be located on a wall in a prominent position and lists the work covered for each product type, the menu as well as including conventional product types such as chainsaws and Riders also includes Battery Series and Automower®.

To ensure the highest level of service throughout the Husqvarna Dealer network, Husqvarna offer annual service training to all dealers, focusing on Battery Series and Automower®.

For more information on both ranges, please contact your local Area Business Manager.

www.husqvarna.com/uk

The V-Ride is a stand-on mower designed for professional use; the compact machine size, ease of manouevering and clear view for the operator have lead to the V-Ride becoming increasingly popular for intricate mowing areas.

The Ride-On SCAG machines, because they are purpose-built for grasscutting, place the operator directly above the cutting deck, and one of the main features on the new V-Ride Stand-On is that this configuration follows the same concept, placing the operator nearer the centre of the machine.

The new version of the original V-Ride was announced in 2017 and had revised features that exhibit SCAG’s policy of continuous improvement and response to operator feedback, which combine to make them such a successful machinery manufacturer.

The latest machine in the range addresses the need for gate-access –

The “V-Ride 32”:

Full model name is the V-Ride 32A-16FX:

• 32” Advantage Deck
• 16HP Kawasaki FX
• Electric start
• Drive wheels: 20 x 6.5 - 10
• Fuel capacity: 4 gallons
• New style 2020 V-Ride operator pad
• All other features as on the 36” V-Ride

The machines are available through the STM dealership network. To find your nearest dealer ring 01789 488450, email info@st-mach.com or look at our website www.st-mach.com

Join the country’s only independent specialist website, created by the team that bring you Service Dealer. Join our subscribed Garden Trader dealers now by clicking on “Register Dealership” and let's fight back against the zero value retailers.

Map of dealerships registered with Garden Trader

FIND OUT MORE