It's sad today to report a long-established dealership going through a liquidation process.

David J Attfield has served its customers from its Woodham, Surrey base for over 30 years. To see all their remaining stock up for auction must be heartbreaking for all involved with the business.

As we're seeing across all sectors of society at the moment, the Covid situation is placing businesses of all sizes under the microscope - see the latest Briggs & Stratton news today for example. There were clearly many who were struggling before all this, who will now sadly, succumb to the financial affects of the pandemic.

So should we be fearful for more casualties in our sector? I guess that's always a possibility and now certainly isn't the time for complacency. However, from what we've been hearing lately, our sector does appear to have been pretty resilient thus far. 

Backing this up we do actually feature some delightfully positive stories today as well. Kramp investing hugely in new premises, GGM taking on new recruits and apprentices, a new industry podcast is launching and Infinicut building a dealer network are all great signs for our industry.

There was an article on the BBC this week which stated that credit card spending had fallen by 50% at the start of lockdown. The story reported that the trend had been for consumers to shun big purchases and be more prudent with their spending. Apparently £8.7bn was spent on credit cards in the first full month of lockdown in April, which is half the level of April last year.

One of the main reasons why this spend dropped so much must quite simply be that the public had fewer places to spend - with non-essential retailers closed. Also the uncertainly about job security and the ongoing crisis would have meant many would be thinking twice before making that purchase.

But we've been told by dealers and manufacturers alike about the surge in demand experienced these past couple of months. If there's one thing we keep hear being repeated, it's just how busy everybody is right now.

Talking with our magazine's current diarist, Pete McArthur of Strathbogie Forest & Garden this week, he told me that he believes through conversations he's also had with dealers and manufacturers, that most have fared pretty well through this lockdown. Pete cited machinery sales and online ordering as appearing to have held up surprising well. Pete said, "It looks like our industry must be bucking the trend with purchases."

This does tie up with some research I've been undertaking for a major feature in the next issue of Service Dealer magazine. I've been canvassing the thoughts of a cross section of manufacturers and suppliers about how they are seeing prospects for their businesses and that of their dealer network over the next 12 months.

As I said last week, a cautious optimism definitely appears to be the prevailing mood. Some senior representatives I have conversed with have told me in fact, that against expectations, they have grown their business during lockdown.

And what are these manufacturers citing as the reason for this growth in business? Of course, the very unusual set of circumstances of people at home with some furlough money in their accounts has lot to do with it. 

However, these extra sales don't just make themselves. Beyond the unique circumstances of 2020's spring period, the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of the dealer network has clearly come into its own.

The survey we ran last week, asked our dealers about changes they've made to their business to help themselves moving forward. We had some interesting answers which you can read in the next issue, but one stood out for me, exemplifying this ability of the network to react and adapt quickly.

"We have expanded our LOCAL e-commerce offering," one dealer told us. "People will be isolating again this autumn / winter. and we need to make it as easy as possible for them to buy from us and have products and services delivered to their homes by our experienced team."

This can-do attitude sums up the network for me. Looking for solutions which both help their customer base and pushes their own business on into ever expanding and improved territory. 

Long may it continue.

Kramp UK has made a huge investment in a brand new distribution center, relocating just around the corner within the same town of Biggleswade.

Kramp UK sales director Des Boyd, with the keys to the new building

The company say Monday 13th this week was a momentous day for them. After remaining in the current location for the last 24 years, Kramp employees moved to the new offices and are now operating solely from the new building. Logistics staff have also started to transition to the new warehouse and are beginning to move the stock to the new building.

Part of the team celebrated on Monday at the office by taking a tour of the new premises and also hosted a virtual party with those who were still working from home.

During the following weeks, the new warehouse will be operational, but during this time the existing warehouse will continue to fulfil to customers as part of Kramp’s normal service, making sure there are no interruptions to customer orders.

The company says the new, much larger, warehouse includes upgraded technology allowing them to stock many more products, and increase the stockholding of the fastest moving lines. Kramp says this will ensure an improved service and faster delivery to customers in the agricultural, forest and grass care, OEM and construction markets.

UK sales director, Des Boyd, said, “We have built a completely automated conveyor system that stems over 3 floors to improve the quality and efficiency of the warehouse. This now means that items coming in will be handled a lot quicker with an easier flow to get the items on stock. For orders, the conveyor system features new Kramp boxes, automatic weighing scales, quality handling stations, automatic packing and box sealing machines. This gives us less wastage, less recycling and improving the efficiency and overall quality”. 

Kramp describe the move as quite a large undertaking. They say the management teams and colleagues have worked hard before and during Covid-19 lockdown to keep to schedule as much as possible, responsibly, with only a three week delay. All companies involved worked hard to make sure the transition went smoothly during this period so that business could carry on as normal.

Kramp Groep state that their long-term vision is to fully support the growing UK and Irish markets. The new site also allows room for further future expansion.

Family run dealership David J Attfield, who have been established for over 30 years from their base in Woodham, Surrey, are in liquidation.

A notice on the Companies House website says they appointed a voluntary liquidator on June 1st 2020.

John Pye Auctions (pictured above) have listed a sale on behalf of the liquidators, comprising a "large selection of gardening equipment to include ride on lawn mowers, pedestrian lawn mowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers gardening tools and wide range of spares."

Viewing is in Chesterfield today, Friday 17th July, 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

The public auction ends on Monday 20th July at 3pm.

A new series of podcasts, Inside Agri-Turf has been launched by Chris Biddle, the founder of Service Dealer and TurfPro magazines.

Chris says they will reflect on issues across both the agricultural and grasscare markets, and feature analysis of topical stories and conversations with those at the sharp-end of the industry.

A short trailer for the series is now available on the Inside Agri-Turf website, which also features details of the first regular episode to be available next week which will look at the role of trade associations, particular during the current pandemic. In it, Chris discusses the events of the past few months with Ruth Bailey, CEO and Director-General of the AEA representing manufacturers and suppliers and Keith Christian, Director of the dealer trade association, BAGMA.

A wide-ranging conversation covers the ‘mood-music’ in the industry, how their support for members (and others) has been highly appreciated, supply prospects, Brexit (again) and the future of shows and exhibitions. Both Ruth and Keith also speak highly of the part that Service Dealer has played in recent weeks, hosting Zoom meetings with dealers and manufacturers on a regular basis.

Chris says, “During lock-down, I decided to teach myself the basics of podcast production and editing audio. I’m still on a learning curve but having done several test interviews, am now ready to roll out the series.”

“Like many people, I tend to listen to selected podcasts as much as I do the radio. Having spent a lifetime in this industry from tractor demonstrator for a manufacturer, to dealer in both ag and turfcare and most recently as a journalist and publisher of trade magazines, I remain fascinated and in awe at the diversity of this industry and of the people who work in it. We are a traditional industry with increasing overtones of innovative technology to match any industry”.

The podcast is also currently available on Spotify and will be hosted on other podcast platforms.

Chris adds, “I’ve progressed from a pen and notebook to basic recording and editing equipment in my home office and am just loving this new challenge!”

https://inside-agriturf.captivate.fm/

The AEA has released figures regarding UK agricultural tractor registrations (power over 50hp) during January to June 2020, by power and region.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the AEA, said, "As previously reported, the total number of agricultural tractors registered for road use in the first half of 2020 was 5,195, almost a quarter lower than in the equivalent period last year.

"We are now releasing figures showing how registrations have changed in terms of power bands and UK regions."

A decline was apparent across all power bands, except for the most high-powered machines. All broad bands below 160hp (and over 50hp) saw a fall of between a quarter and a third in the first six months of this year, compared with January-June 2019. The drop was slightly smaller above this power level but only machines above 320hp saw a rise in registrations, being up 9% year on year.

"This pattern suggests that the unusual decline in average tractor power seen in 2019 will be reversed this year," explained Stephen. "The average power of tractors (over 50hp) registered in the latest six months was just over 170hp, up by nearly 5hp on the same period last year."

At regional level, registrations declined by 17% or more almost everywhere, with the sharpest falls in the Home Counties (down by 49%) and Northern Ireland (-38%).

"There were only two exceptions to the picture of sharp declines," said Stephen. "Wales saw a drop of just 9%, while registrations in the South East were actually up 1%."

The tenth chapter in the Service Dealer Digital Toolkit is now available.

TAP account manager, Kate Godber, said, "This week’s chapter will help you make the most of your business listing on Google. In just 30 minutes you can make yourself more visible online and increase your number of potential leads."

For those of you that have already registered use the login details emailed to you by Service Dealer (check your junk mail and add us to your safe senders list if you haven’t received the email) or if not, sign up here: https://www.servicedealer.co.uk/dealer-digital-toolkit

Dealers GGM Groundscare has announced it has expanded its team with the appointment of two new service engineers both recruited during the lockdown and has created positions for three new apprenticeships, in a bid to support continued  growth and offer job opportunities in both Colne and Haydock.

Andy Crabtree and Chris Sumner

The group employs 39 staff across two sites, and despite the current crisis, managing director Chris Gibson says he wants to continue his commitment to customer support and offer job opportunities in line with their long-term business growth strategy.

Andy Crabtree and Chris Sumner, have both joined the business as field service engineers based at the Haydock depot.

GGM Groundscare say they are also currently recruiting for three new apprentices to help local young people into a new career. This follows the Government’s announcement of an 'apprentice bonus scheme', when from August to January, any firm that hires a new young apprentice aged 16 to 24 will receive a £2,000 grant. Those that hire new apprentices aged 25 and over will be paid £1,500.

Chris Gibson explained, “While many businesses have struggled hugely over the lockdown period, at GGM we’ve managed to maintain a steady flow of business, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated team, particularly for our customers in local authority grounds, sports clubs and hospitals. We decided to recruit for these roles to help the local job market, as well as to facilitate business growth. It’s particularly important to us to support the next generation and we welcome the government’s new apprentice scheme.”

The company say they have spent time over the lockdown period enhancing its customer offering in preparation for life to return to some form of normality. Over the last few months, GGM have produced a number of new initiatives including a new brochure featuring its hire offering, and a new service agreement package providing customers with a tailor made service solution as well showcasing some of its golf and fine turf customers in a new case study brochure.

Chris Gibson concluded, “We feel very fortunate that our business has continued to grow over this testing period and we’re thrilled to be able to offer these new opportunities to local people, as well as helping our customers provide services as they get back to business”.

A network of established dealers is being constructed for the distribution of the Infinicut and TMSystem ranges.

Since the beginning of the year, a number of dealerships have signed up to offer sales and support.

Taking on the ranges have been Turner Groundscare and Balmers GM in the North of England, and Scamblers and P Tuckwells covering the Central and Eastern regions.

On their appointment, Gareth Baker, general manager of Turner Groundscare said, “We’re absolutely delighted to be able to supply the Infinicut range of battery powered mowers. They’re an exciting product that are in high demand. We have found that our turf professionals love the flexibility of the changeable cassettes and impressive battery life."

With the aim of achieving coverage across the United Kingdom, sales manager Vinny Tarbox says the job of building the network is not finished yet.

“It is testament to the quality of the product and its reputation in the market that we have signed up the sales outlets we have in such a short period of time, and we are delighted to have some well-respected and well-established partners working together with us. But we’re not stopping there! We will be making further appointments in the not too distant future which will help us to bring our ranges to even more venues around the country.”

SALTEX and events director, Luke Perry, has spoken about the planned exhibition for next March saying they don't yet have all the answers but he believes the show will play an "integral" role of bringing the industry together following the events of this year.

Luke Perry

Luke Perry was appointed by the Grounds Management Association six weeks before the 2019 event. Luke has previously worked on some of the UK’s most prestigious exhibitions, including BBC Countryfile Live, The British International Motor Show, Autosport International and several specialist events in the hospitality industry.

Enthused by his first taste of SALTEX, Luke says he was straight to work on preparations for the show’s 75th anniversary, spearheading the team of organisers in coordinating the strategy. “Putting on a two-day show is an enormous amount of work - it really is a 365-day project, but I wouldn’t have been in the events industry for so long if I didn’t love what I do,” he said.

Luke says he is looking forward to making his mark on SALTEX’s 75th anniversary but will of course, have to wait longer than originally planned, following the announcement that the show has been postponed from November 2020 to Spring 2021.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but absolutely the correct one,” he said. “I think the feedback and support from the industry certainly is testament to this.

“We’ve had a fantastic response from exhibitors with many claiming that it will provide them with enough time to recover and plan effectively. In fact, many have suggested that Spring is actually a better time of year and that echoes the same feedback we have had from visitors. With such an unprecedented year ahead, we’re planning more than ever behind the scenes to make sure it hits the right mark.”

Luke admitted that show preparations are somewhat different to the usual event planning. There is still uncertainty and questions arising as to how large gatherings and exhibitions will be delivered.

“The honest answer is that we do not have all the answers yet, but we do have time on our side,” he said. “Our main priority is to put the safety of everyone connected with SALTEX above all else – and this is one of the reasons why the show was postponed.

“Nonetheless, we are working around the clock and planning for every eventuality. Part of this planning involves ensuring that we can deliver a show in which people can assemble and interact with a real awareness of the need to maintain safe practices. Should guidelines or restrictions still be necessary in March, we are working hard to ensure the show remains a brilliant and valuable experience for exhibitors and visitors. All we can do is take it step-by-step and ensure that we are prepared for each part of the journey.

Luke belives that after an extended period of isolation, there will be a real appetite for SALTEX. "All signs are pointing towards an incredibly busy and vibrant show and we’re planning to deliver exactly that.”

Luke contnued, “As the GMA is a member organisation, it’s extremely close to the ground to the issues that matter most across the sector, at all levels. We’ve spent a lot of time listening to the industry and, in response, have quickly developed and issued essential Covid-19 resources.

"After this difficult period, I believe that SALTEX will play an integral role to helping the industry network, collaborate and continue to support one another more than ever before.”

SALTEX will take place on 3 and 4 March 2021 at the NEC, Birmingham.

Husqvarna - pioneer in robotic mowing - has announced the launch of its new solution for the mowing of sports turf, Automower® Club Solution. Designed for sports turf applications, the new solution allows multiple Husqvarna Automower® 550 robotic mowers to be used simultaneously on one pitch without wires intersecting the playing surface.

With Automower® Club Solution, two or three Automower® 550 mowers can mow the area simultaneously with only a single boundary wire outside the playing surface. This eliminates the risk of a damaged boundary wire during turf treatment such as aeration or scarification.

Automower® Club Solution features a higher cutting disc speed to improve the mowers performance on turf which has a high grass growth - a typical characteristic of sports fields. A great benefit of its high level of independent performance includes the ability to redeploy groundsmen on other important and time-consuming tasks, as Automower® 550 will look after turf with without the need of human interaction.

There are no guide wires needed with Automower® Club Solution, and each mower at work on the pitch has its own specified charging station. The robotic mowers will follow the boundary wire placed around the field back to its charging position. To avoid collisions between the mowers when searching for their individual stations, the Automower® 550 mowers will always follow the boundary wire in a clockwise direction.

Kevin Ashmore, UK Manager - Husqvarna Professional said: “As a company we are constantly striving to develop smart solutions that meet and exceed the expectations of our commercial customers. Automower® Club Solution is another example, providing an efficient, cost effective and sustainable solution for the maintenance of sports turf such as football pitches. Husqvarna Fleet ServicesTM, a standard feature on all commercial Automower models allow a fleet of machines to be tracked and controlled remotely using a smart phone, tablet or desktop”.

A special installation is required with Automower® Club Solution, along with the latest firmware, a new charging station board and a special configuration in Autocheck.

A full sales aid containing order details, and set up is available from Husqvarna UK. For further information on Husqvarna Automower® Club Solution and the rest of the Husqvarna Commercial Automower® range, please contact your local Husqvarna Area Business Manager.

www.husqvarna.com/uk

The international landscape, outdoor living and equipment show.

Visit the Kentucky Exposition Center, between the 21-23rd October 2020, to take part in GIE+EXPO’s:

• 4,000sqft hands-on Drone Zone
• UTV Test Track for driving and comparing the latest vehicles on real terrain
• Remote Pilot Certification Course
• Arborist demos and classroom courses
• Keynote presentation from Admiral James Stavridis
• Free dealer workshops by Bob Clements International, as well as much more…

Visit gie-expo.com to find out more.

Garden Trader is helping send quality leads to specialist garden machinery dealers in the UK.  It has been designed to  promote our dealer industry to consumers who are specifically searching for garden machinery products and services.

It is easy and quick to register and costs just £96 + VAT per year to be listed and all revenues in 2020 will be reinvested into promoting the site online.

Garden Trader

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.

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