Firstly today, I'd like to remind all our marvellous dealer readers that the nomination period for our Dealer Of The Year competition is in full swing.

If you haven't entered yet, you still have a few more weeks to do so - but don't leave it so long that you forget about it and miss out on your chance of recognition! Get thinking which categories are right for your dealership and your team members - or indeed for the first time this year, your best customer!

If you've entered in years past, there's nothing stopping you from joining in again this year - and if you've never thrown your company's hat in the ring before, make this edition of the competition the one where you do! We've spoken a lot before about the value of being a finalist or of winning a prestigious industry award. For me, what really stands out from the benefits is the instant PR story you have to shout about to your local press and via your own social media channels. On top of this, there's the undeniable morale boost that comes from independent acknowledgment that what your dealership and staff have been doing, is worthy of an honour. In a tough season, that could be a real fillip. 

Winter stocking

Talking of tough seasons, there was a topic related to this that I heard several dealers discussing with some concern at GroundsFest recently. Also in the upcoming edition of Service Dealer magazine that we're putting the finishing touches to, a couple of dealers we hear from mention the subject. And that's winter stocking.

Always a balancing act, but 2025's pre-season ordering period sounds to present an ever more complicated picture. The recurring theme that we are hearing is that many dealerships already have too much stock on hand, and the thought of committing to further winter orders feels daunting to say the least.

You can read what the dealers we've heard from say in full when you receive the mag, but essentially one dealer we speak to believes that as manufacturers begin to look for winter stock orders, those yearly plans are clearly dictated somewhat by the weather. Tying to anticipate that has always been a gamble, they say, but in recent years, it feels even more so. They feel that the only real certainty is uncertainty. "So, all we can do is prepare the best we can and adapt to whatever comes our way," they tell us.

The other dealer we hear from believes that this year the supply network will understand the realities facing dealers, particularly in light of this stock carry-over from the current year. They say that suppliers will adapt pre-season ordering demands to work in partnership with their dealer networks. I'm sure many reading this today certainly hope this will be the case.

But what are your feelings regarding this year's winter stocking period? How are you approaching it?  Are you committing to stock in the usual way, reigning back, or holding off completely?

Also, I suppose the key question is are you finding your suppliers flexible on ordering terms? If you want to do this differently this year, can you?

Please leave your comments below on the subject as we're most interested to hear how the network is feeling. Or, as ever, if you'd prefer any opinions to remain anonymous, please drop me a line in confidence.

Thanks for your feedback. It's always appreciated.

EGO Power+ have announced they are expanding its EU team, with Fabian Storm as strategic category business development manager for autonomous mowing solutions.

Fabian Storm

With his arrival, the company say they are making a targeted investment in the future of autonomous mowing and strengthening their market position in this segment. 

Fabian worked at Husqvarna for almost eight years as a business developer and key account manager. His focus there was on the development and introduction of professional mowing solutions in the European market. EGO say they want to use this experience to achieve its goals in the autonomous robotic mower market. 

Fabian said, "I see great opportunities to raise the bar in the market with our new models and demonstrate that autonomous mowing offers much more than just convenience."

Earlier this year, the manufacturer introduced new robotic mowers, including the RM2000E and RM4000E. Ambitious plans are underway for 2026 to further expand their robotic mowers across Europe. The company says these developments focus on mowing larger areas, more advanced navigation, and greater efficiency. Their latest models will utilise PathIQ technology, which the company believes clearly distinguishes themselves in the rapidly growing robot mower market. 

Chris Biddle, founder of Service Dealer, and his wife Trish celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on 25 September and hosted a lunch at the Captain’s Club Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset for family and friends.

The occasion was also marked by personal best wishes on reaching the milestone from HM King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Now retired, Chris and Trish relocated this year from their long-time home in Salisbury to Southbourne on the Dorset coast, where they are only 100 yards from the outstanding 8-mile beach that stretches from Bournemouth to Hengistbury Head.

The couple were married 60 years ago in Andover when Trish was a staff nurse at a Salisbury hospital and Chris was working for tractor and groundscare dealership, A Brewer & Co (now C&O Tractors).

After leaving the dealership, Chris founded Service Dealer magazine in 1988, followed by Turf Professional ten years later, before selling the titles to Duncan Murray-Clarke’s LandPower Publications in 2016.

He was editor of Landwards, the professional journal of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) for 12 years and produced printed publicity material for the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) and the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association (BAGMA).

Our Dealer Of The Year Awards nomination process is in full swing - and we'd love as many of our wonderful UK and Ireland dealers to enter as possible.

You still have a few weeks before the final deadline - but make sure that you and you team members don't miss out. Get entering today!

Clicking the logo above will take you to the nominations page where you'll find all you need to put your dealership and staff forward for as many awards as you like. You know how hard you've worked this year, so why not shout about it?

Dealerships and individuals can also be nominated by any third party who feels they are deserving of recognition. These nominations can come from manufacturers, suppliers, customers, staff members etc.

Entries must be in by midnight on Friday 24th October 2025.

Get entering!

The AriensCo Roadshow 2025 came to a close last weekend at the end of September 2025.

Since the end of July, their sales teams have been on the move across Germany, France and the United Kingdom - meeting dealers and end users directly at their locations. With up to seven stops in each country, visitors had the chance to get up close with the latest from AS-Motor and Ariens, and try them out for themselves.

Each stop featured live demonstrations, expert conversations, and personal consultations that allowed for hands-on experiences. The company says the focus was not only on showcasing product features, but also on discussing everyday challenges, technical details, and service and spare parts needs with dealers, service professionals, and local authorities. 

Sam Lewis, general manager of AriensCo UK, said, “Performance data is one thing - but the real test is putting the machine into the hands of the user. That’s when you truly see what it can do.” 

Two key machines took center stage, both unveiled earlier this year at demopark - the AS 990 Tahr RC remote-controlled rotary mower and the Ariens Summit Pro Zero-Turn Series

Across all three countries, the company says response to the roadshow was overwhelmingly positive. Visitors appreciated the chance to experience the equipment first-hand, while dealers took advantage of the opportunity to deepen their product knowledge. 

“Roadshows help build trust and provide a genuine product experience,” Sam Lewis concluded. “They’ll continue to play an increasingly important role alongside trade shows and conventional demos in how we connect with our customers.”

Knight Farm Machinery has appointed Steve Dunning as its new area manager to oversee the needs of dealers and customers across Scotland and northern England.

He joins an existing team of two to directly connect the Knight factory in Rutland and its manufacturing and technical teams with the support needs of those who sell, service, own or operate Knight machines.

Based in Ripon, North Yorkshire, Steve joins Knight following seven years as UK northern area manager with a major international sprayer manufacturer, followed by a spell managing retail sales across two depots for Agrovista. He began his career as a service engineer with northern England farm machinery dealer Paxtons, before moving into sales with the same company.

“Knight Farm Machinery has a strong reputation for innovations that make operating its sprayers simpler and yet more precise,” points out Steve.

“The number of Knight users in Scotland and northern England is growing, and I’m looking forward to working with current dealers and customers to help them get the most from their machines, while also making dealer appointments to fill the few gaps that remain in our network, and making further sales directly where necessary.”

Steve joins Cliff Buck, responsible for eastern England dealers and sales, and John Wooding, who oversees western England, in the Knight Farm Machinery area management team. 

The latest independent research showed that on average, each Garden Trader dealer will be sent 114 new customers (or people with a buying intention walking through your door) per year.  This works out at 83p for each new customer. A subscription rate designed to be all inclusive delivering unrivalled online results.  

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