After some slightly gloomy news on the tractor retail figures front, some stats came out in the past week which made more positive reading for the general retail sector.

The Office Of National Statistics reported a noticeable uptake in retail sales in the month of January - with actual physical stores, as opposed to online retailers, seeing a particular upturn. Some commentators have seen this as some much-needed reassurance for businesses running bricks and mortar retail premises.

According to the ONS, the amount of goods sold in Great Britain rose by 0.9% overall last month. And whilst no-one will be closing their doors early today in celebration at this news, it is at least a statistic which goes against the received wisdom that the high street is in perpetual decline and online sales are the only way forward.

Dealers know that in-store buying has so much more to offer and can provide an experience that online retail simply cannot. Especially with the type of products they are stocking. The key is getting that message out to consumers that it's to their benefit to enter the showroom - and then once there, it's up to the business to offer them that enhanced experience.

There's clearly still a vital role for traditional retailers to play in the lives of consumers - albeit traditional retailers who are willing to adapt in order to keep pace with the market's interests. Progressive is the key word here.

It's been said many times before, most recently and eloquently by Chris Biddle last week, that historically, dealers have shown that they can survive - and indeed thrive - through this adaptability. Changing with the times and being at the forefront of introducing developing technologies to the marketplace being a prime example.

One avenue which demonstrates this perfectly has been with the emergence of battery and robotic technology in the grass and professional turf care sectors over the past few years. Of course there are the concerns voiced regarding future service work for this equipment - but there doesn't appear to be any doubt now that this kit is very much here to stay. Dealers are finding receptive consumers amongst both domestic, and increasingly, commercial users.

As we move forward, it won't solely be consumer taste which drives the continued increases in sales in this sector - legislation will play a dominant role. More and more stringent laws will be put into place regarding emissions and noise levels, meaning the internal combustion engine will become ever more marginalised.

We saw with the story regarding Ego last week, a manufacturer of battery-powered products launching a manifesto which they say "highlights the dangers of petrol gardening equipment". The manufacturer also said they will be "issuing a rallying cry for like-minded organisations" to join them in order to bring the issue in front of parliament.

If we look to America, and specifically to California, we can see precedent of the increased hand of legislation coming into play when it comes to sales of petrol-powered machinery. California is currently considering a statewide ban on all petrol-run gardening equipment.

In a recent story on the subject from the U.S trade journal, Landscape Management, the head of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) , Kris Kiser, is quoted as saying, "For all intents and purposes, California wants to drive the internal combustion engine out of the state and move to the implementation of zero-emissions products, so switching to battery, electric."

When I spoke to Kris about this subject at the GIE+EXPO in October last year he had this to say regarding California's plans; "It is an extraordinarily aggressive programme with a target of by 2031, eliminating the sale of internal combustion engines. Period. By that year they do not want any internal combustion engines sold in the entire state at all."

Kris explained to me that the way the law works with this kind of legislation, is if California develops new rules, other states can then elect to adopt them also. You can read my interview with Kris in full, in the special supplement that is included with the latest issue of Service Dealer magazine which should be with you any day now.

Clearly there is change in the air. Dealerships are here to stay - but that which is displayed in their showrooms, is inevitably changing.

Actually, perhaps a more apt term is progressing?

So how different do you think your stock will look in 10 years time? In 5 years even? Will there still be place for petrol power or will battery have fully taken over?

Let us know your thoughts.

TAP, the owners of Service Dealer and TurfPro, triumphed at the national Rural Business Awards, which were held last night at the stunning Monastery in Manchester.

TAP owners Duncan Murray-Clarke and Emma Craigie with the award for Best Rural Digital, Communications or Media Business

Representing the South-East, the company scooped the title of Best Rural Digital, Communications or Media Business, ahead of companies representing the Midlands, North, Wales & NI, South West and East.

Owner of TAP, Duncan Murray Clarke said, "We are absolutely delighted to win this top award in a competitive category and at an event that fits right in with our ethos as a team and as an agency. Thanks to the judges for choosing us, the event organisers, the category sponsor O2, but mainly to our great team at TAP.

"In our industry clients are starting to look for more value and point of difference. That is why we believe businesses are seeking out small agencies that offer real value and comprehensive market knowledge.

"TAP is a global business, but with genuine rural roots. We work closely with innovative rural businesses and rural initiatives - with the independent dealer trade being the epitome of that."

A spokesperson for the Rural Business Awards said, "The competition was close, but, through our lengthy judging process, a panel of around 25 judges selected the very cream of the crop to take home our national awards."

The organisers say the aim of the awards has not changed since they were first presented in 2015. They aim to give recognition to businesses operating right across the rural sector, to acknowledge the breadth and depth of opportunity presented by the Great British countryside, as well as to celebrate the achievements of rural businesses, from engineering through to artisan food producers and professional services organisations.

The eleven awards are decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, official agencies and rural charitable organisations.

Returning to the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry this November, the Service Dealer Conference & Awards will once again benefit from Catalyst Computer Systems as Gold Sponsor.

The date of this year's event has been confirmed as Thursday November 19th 2020.

Mike Cameron, sales manager at Catalyst (second left) presenting the Star Of The Dealership award to John Rowland, engineer at Turney Groundforce, with Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke (l) and comedian Charlie Baker (r) at 2019's ceremony

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "We are very pleased to once again be announcing Catalyst as Gold Sponsor for Service Dealer's Conference & Awards.

"They have supported our event for a number of years now and so to see them back this year, for what promises to be another superb day for independent dealers, is great news."

Mike Cameron, sales manager at Catalyst, are an award-winning writer and supplier of Dealer Management Software in the agricultural, horticultural and construction trades, said, “At Catalyst, our customers’ success is our priority. We aim to provide powerful systems, backed up by dependable and robust support of the highest standard.

"We want our customers to thrive in the industry, which is why we’re pleased to once again be sponsoring this event that always proves to be powerful, informative and of-the-moment for everybody involved."

More details about this year's Service Dealer Conference & Awards will be announced in due course.

KUBOTA

Kubota has reported revenues of $17.3 billion at 31 December 2019 – an increase of $628.million (3.8%) on the prior year.

Operating profit increased by $110.8 million (6.5%) from the prior year to $1.8 billion.

Overseas revenue increased by $195.5 million (1.7%) from the prior year to $11.7 billion In Europe, revenue decreased due to a negative effect from the yen appreciation against the Euro and the British pound sterling. There were some negative impacts from rushed demand for engines caused by tightening of emission regulations in the prior year and stagnated demand for construction machinery in the United Kingdom along with a concern about economic downturn caused by Brexit.

JOHN DEERE

Deere & Co has reported that its worldwide net sales and revenues decreased 4% in the first quarter ended 2 February to $7.63 billion. Net sales of the company’s equipment operations were $6.53billion for the quarter, compared with $6.94 billion in 2019; a decline of 6%

Year-over-year sales of agriculture and turf equipment for the quarter fell 4% to $4.49 billion from $4.68 billion. Operating profit increased 7%, to $373 million vs. $348 million in the first quarter of 2019. Operating margin improved to 8.3% compared to 7.4% a year earlier.

Deere’s worldwide sales of agriculture and turf equipment are forecast to decline 5-10% for fiscal year 2020, including a negative currency-translation effect of about 1 percent.

MAHINDRA / MISUBISHI

Indian tractor maker Mahindra has announced a new range of tractors to be created with Mitsubishi of Japan. The new line is set for launch in 2021, with models to be introduced over the next 2 years.

Called K2, itwill have 4 tractor variants designed for both domestic and international markets. The work will be primarily done in Japan in co-operation with Mitsubishi Agriculture Machinery."

In 2015, Mahindra acquired a 33.3% share of Mitsubishi's stock.

AGCO

AGCO is to further expand its manufacturing site in Beauvais, France. Martin Richenhagen, CEO, made the announcement at the Choose France summit, led by French President Emmanuel Macron. He said “We intend Beauvais to become the Global Home of the Massey Ferguson Brand.

The acquisition of the 15.7 hectare ex-Froneri site, which includes 4.5 hectares of buildings, will enable Massey Ferguson to meet growing demand for its equipment. The brand has launched 18 new tractor ranges since 2015, with  a further 10 to come by 2023.

SDF

SDF Group, manufacturer of Deutz-Fahr, SAME and Lamborghini tractors, has embarked on an investment project that will modernize and expand its Indian tractor and engine manufacturing plant.

Due to be completed over 3 years without interrupting production, the renewal program at the Ranipet plant near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in southwest India, will extend the factory’s logistics area and redefine the transmission assembly line and painting facilities.

LEGAL RULING

In January 2020, a jury in Oklahoma awarded a woman $5 million in a civil suit that followed her husband's death in a tractor accident.

The jury found Deere & Co to be responsible for the May 25, 2014, death of James Beall, age 38, when the tractor he was driving rolled over, trapping him underneath.

The case involved a John Deere 3038 E Compact Utility Tractor with a 305 front loader that was sold to the Bealls by P&K Equipment, Inc., of Stillwater. The tractor and an optional front loader were assembled at the Deere plant in Georgia and then shipped to P&K Equipment.

Shylah Beall's suit claimed that the tractor was unsafe and had not been properly configured by either the factory or the dealership before she and her husband took delivery. Throughout the lawsuit, Deere denied the accusations.

NOTE: Product liability laws vary from state to state, and country to country. An appeal against the ruling is likely. Initially, the dealer was sued but the case was dismissed after 18 months of legal wrangling. Read more and analysis by Farm Equipment magazine

END PIECE: WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The origin of the AGCO name was always a compromise according to founder Bob Ratliff. In 2013, he said that after acquiring Deutz-Allis from Klöckner Humboldt and Deutz of Germany, they thought they’d call the company the Allis Gleaner Company.

The idea was quickly abandoned when the company handling the bankruptcy of Allis Chalmers would not let AGCO use the world “Allis” as a prefix without paying a major royalty. Gleaner-Allis and other names were considered, but ultimately they decided on AGCO. Ratliff said they “figured people could translate it any way they wished. Also, it would be first in the phonebook, so the name really was never defined internally in any specific manner.”

FR Jones and Son have confirmed a partnership with SPA Power Machinery which will see them become an official dealership of the machinery brands Easy Petrol Post Driver, and Westermann Radialbesen.

Westermann Radialbesen

The partnership began on 11th February 2020 and they will be providing brand coverage across Greater London, Surrey and Kent.

Laurie Anthony, director at SPA Power Machinery said, “We are very pleased that FR Jones & Son have chosen to take on the dealerships of our flagship import ranges. The efforts that FR Jones put in to engage with their customer base is second-to-none, and we are proud to be working with them to bring our products to the people of the South East.”

Kuhn Farm Machinery has appointed R. C. Boreham & Co as its dealer for Essex.

The appointment sees the third-generation family business become official stockists and service support dealers of the manufacturer's full range of agricultural machinery.

Founded in 1963 by Roy and Ursula Boreham from a County Council farm at Pleshey, near Chelmsford, the business now offers a complete service to the agricultural and horticultural industries including new and used machinery sales, machinery hire, haulage, parts, servicing and contract farming.

Dealers for Deutz-Fahr tractors, Merlo telehandlers and Polaris UTVs, the company maintains a comprehensively stocked parts department for a wide variety of makes and models of agricultural machinery.

“We are delighted to welcome R. C. Boreham & Co as our official dealer for Essex,” said Sian Pritchard, managing director of Kuhn UK. “With the family very much at the heart of the company, and with a knowledgeable and experienced team fully committed alongside, we see great potential for this new partnership.

Commenting on behalf of R. C. Boreham & Co, partner Matt Boreham said: “We are excited to be given the opportunity to become business partners with KUHN and feel their impressive range of products will complement our current brand group."

AriensCo collaborated with Kawasaki Engines Europe on 30th January 2020 to host a dedicated day for lawncare professionals from the online community Lawn Care Legends, who visited the company’s UK headquarters in Great Haseley, Oxfordshire.

The day consisted of an introduction to AriensCo, its history and the brands it manufactures and distributes. This was followed by product demos of the company's zero-turns, Echo outdoor power equipment, and Countax and Westwood garden tractors, complemented by workshops on machinery maintenance from Kawasaki Engines Europe and ECHO Tools UK.

The attendees were given a factory tour of the new zero-turn production line - the first in Europe - giving them the chance to see precisely how Ariens zero-turns are manufactured and assembled. A series of demonstrations followed, with the opportunity to try products from the existing range of zero-turns, including Ikon X, Apex, and Zenith as well as two prototype machines.

A range of petrol and battery-powered tools were displayed in the Echo mobile demo unit, including the new CS-2511WES chainsaw and the PB-8010 power blower as well as a selection of professional brushcutters and hedgetrimmers. These were all available for demonstration. A zero-turn challenge, with prizes for the three lowest scores, was run and saw many participants battling it out, manoeuvring zero-turns around a series of cones, to take the three top spots.

“The day offered the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that Ariens and Echo offer a wide range of products in the outdoor power equipment and arborist marketplace for commercial operators,” said Darren Spencer, Vice President EMEA and Asia.

The day ended with a Q&A session and industry updates, with discussions amongst attendees including new products and future industry considerations for 2020.

“Events like this show the value and importance of relationships between manufacturers and end-users,” said John Ryan, founder of Lawn Care Legends. “Everyone came away feeling uplifted by the experience.”

Reesink UK has recruited Jim Maynard as a tractor specialist, a position that has been created due to what they describe as their growing prominence in the sector.

Jim Maynard

Jim has worked with customers, machinery manufacturers, dealers and distributors in his extensive career. He spent 16 years specialising in John Deere machinery and has strong experience in customer services and a sound technical ability, the company says.

Steven Haynes, sales manager at Reesink, said, “Jim has worked in the industry for many years repairing land-based equipment and we’re confident his technical knowledge and customer relations experience will translate well to his new position at Reesink.”

Jim said, "It will be great to be specialising in tractors, it’s an area I am really comfortable in and have a wealth of experience and knowledge to hopefully benefit Reesink customers.”

Jim will be delivering technical support to Reesink’s dealer network and golf, sports, grounds and farming customers across the country with Steven and the now five-strong team.

Steven concludes, “The trajectory of Reesink’s debut into distributing tractors in the UK just seven years ago has surpassed expectation and that’s why we’re expanding the team. Having Jim on board ensures we can continue that into the next decade.”

Bobcat has appointed Peterborough-based RTC Plant Services Ltd as the new authorised Bobcat dealer for Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire.

L-R: Tom Calton and Dave Ellis of RTC Plant Services Ltd

RTC is now responsible for sales and service of the range of skid-steer, compact track and all-wheel steer loaders, mini-excavators, telehandlers and attachments in the construction, rental, landscaping and industrial markets in the three counties.

Tom Calton, managing director of RTC, said: “As one of the region's largest independent sales, parts and service dealers, we bring a lot of local knowledge, expertise, experience and enthusiasm to selling and supporting the Bobcat range in these areas. Both I and my fellow director, Dave Ellis, who heads up the sales side, believe there are many fantastic opportunities to expand sales in this region."

Ewen Gilchrist, network development manager UK & Nordics for Doosan Bobcat EMEA, said, “From their outstanding facilities in the centre of Peterborough combined with good transport links, we are confident that RTC will provide the best possible service for both new and existing Bobcat customers."

As well as the range of machines and attachments, RTC also offers a full selection of genuine Bobcat accessories and parts to support both new and existing customers in its area. This is backed up by a stock of both brand new and second hand Bobcat machines for sale.

Honda have announced they are to showcase the newest addition to its Miimo robotic mower range, the HRM40 Live, at the 2020 Ideal Home Show taking place at London's Olympia in March.

Known as the 'Small Miimo', two units will be on show at the event, one in the Future Living Home garden and the other one on the Quantum Lodge roof garden.

Honda says the new mower casts a small footprint measuring 455mm long and 364mm wide and " . . combines a smart feature suite with latest generation componentry".

There will be an exclusive show offer of £200 off, which brings the price down to £849 (Live model). The manufacturer says customers with buying intent can purchase on the Honda stand, for delivery/collection post-show. Alternatively, the offer can be redeemed post-show, online and in dealerships, using a discount code that will be supplied at the show; codes will expire fourteen days after the final day of the exhibition.

Features of the new mower include the Smart Timer function that sees the mower configure its own cutting schedule, optimised according to the weather forecast and a grass growth algorithm. Users can also interact with it remotely via the ‘Mii-monitor 40’ application, available on smart devices, and Amazon Alexa.

Speaking about the show, Steve Morris, head of Honda Power Equipment said, “We’re delighted to bring Lawn & Garden Power Products to the Ideal Home Show for the very first time and I couldn’t think of a better model to do it with. Small Miimo demonstrates Honda’s efforts to bring Lawn & Garden care up to speed with the technological trends that are evolving home life."

Donore, Caragh, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Tel 00353 45 860031 Fax 00 353 45 885507
E-mail sales@southernmachinery.ie Web www.southernmachinery.ie

Importers and distributors of Lawnmowers and Grounds Care Equipment

SOUTHERN MACHINERY LTD - UK SALES POSITION

Job Title:

Territory Sales Manager

Southern Machinery Ltd is the UK and Ireland Distributor for Hustler Turf Equipment. Established in 1968 the company has been actively promoting and distributing Garden and Grounds Care machinery for over 50 years. The position of UK Territory Sales Manager is becoming available and we are looking to recruit an individual with a passion for the industry to work as part of our successful sales team.

Job Description:

To represent the Hustler Range of Zero Turn Lawnmowers in England and Wales and assist in sales activity in Scotland.

Maintain and continue to develop the nationwide network of dealers who will stock and sell the Hustler product range by developing their awareness of Hustler Zero Turn Lawnmowers, and support their sales efforts by attending shows and demonstrating mowers.

Identify customers both commercial, council and residential and initiate sales.

Assist dealers in demonstrations.

Maintain awareness of Dealer accounts

Key Motivations

To further develop the Zero Turn Lawnmower market in the UK aiming to make Hustler the number one Zero Turn Lawnmower reflecting the success currently experienced by Hustler Turf Equipment in both the US and international markets.

Turnover, profit and commission focused aiming to increase customer base and ability to manage dealers in stocking machines and monitoring their financial performance in line with the philosophy and long term ambition of Southern Machinery Ltd.

Requirements

Full Clean UK driving Licence B+E Categories

Driver Card for Taco

Ability to spend at least 5 nights away from home each month and attend shows with dealers when requested.

Ability to work independently, managing time, making efficient use of resources while covering a large territory.

Ability to maintain company vehicle and manage driving time directive.

Strong negotiating skills, technical and problem solving ability, good communicator, dependable and honest.

Good understanding of the trade with experience in the industry.

Motivated, energetic and driven to develop his/her career as a valuable member of the Southern Machinery Ltd Team.

Competent machinery operating skills and ability to instruct users on the safe operation of zero turn lawnmowers.

Competitive Salary reflecting Experience, Company Vehicle and Trailer, mobile phone.

Interested candidates please forward CV and cover letter to southernmachinerydonore@gmail.com

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.

Map of dealerships registered with Garden Trader

FIND OUT MORE