Myself and Duncan Murray-Clarke, the owner of Service Dealer, embarked a mini road trip this week, visiting several dealerships. Our intention was to gain a sense of how the season is taking shape and to hear what's going well and what challenges a selection of our readers are facing.

We've undertaken a couple of these before, memorably in Scotland and Wales, but circumstances have dictated that we've not been able to set off on tour for a couple of years now. It's been far too long actually, so it was great to get out and about this week, taking advantage of the fine weather and enjoying fascinating conversations with some talented entrepreneurs.

This time we headed to southern England, including making the crossing over the Solent to the Isle Of Wight. We received a warm welcome from friends old and new at each stop and we thank everyone we met for their generosity of time and spirit.

We won't leave it so long before we take our next trip around a selection of dealerships, with ideas already formulating for possible areas to visit.

Duncan and Steve hard at work on the Isle Of Wight this week

I'm pleased to report that everyone we spent time with this week were full-on busy with both buoyant machinery sales and full workshops working to capacity. The slow start to the season which it seems that all areas of the country will have experienced to some degree or another was acknowledged, but thankfully that appears to be behind us now. It was full steam ahead for the dealers we met.

Clearly all still had challenges they were facing - some common, some unique to their own circumstances - but I'd say everyone we had the pleasure of meeting this week were upbeat and looking forward to tackling what lay ahead. 

Whenever we speak with dealers, we always learn something new or gain an insight we didn't have before. Dealers like to talk and all have a story to tell, an opinion to share or some wisdom to impart - and this week was no different.

We'll have some more detail in the next issue of Service Dealer magazine, but until then, this week we met:

MowersUK

Duncan Murray-Clarke with Sam Hudson

We had a great chat with Sam Hudson of last year's Service Dealer awards finalists, MowersUK, who are based at Tadley, near Basingstoke in Hampshire.

Sam was telling us what machinery was going great guns for them now the season was in full flow - and, like others we spoke to, it was the EGO range he singled out for mention as proving popular with customers. Also he said it was mulching mowers in general that are rapidly rising in popularity, with zero-turns in particular finding favour.

Sam also spoke about how important he found it to interact and discuss issues he faced as a dealer with fellow specialists around the country. He said how taking the opportunity that manufacturer dealer days and the like afforded him to share experiences and ideas with others who were going through the same things, gave that reassurance that that "it's not just us."

Stubbings Bros

Luke and Andy Stubbings

Our first stop on the Isle Of Wight was Stubbings Bros Ltd in Chale Green near Ventnor. Here we met multi-generational, father and son team Andy and Luke Stubbings.

They told us business had been "going like the clappers" just recently and how they had found success offering Kubota's agricultural, groundcare and construction lines. With the full gamut of machinery options, any and each of three could pick up the slack if any of the others were experiencing a slower period they told us.

Stubbings have built up a loyal following of customers on the island over their 40 years of trading. They are proud that their quality of customer service keeps people coming back to them time and again. Recruiting is tough we heard, as is the local bureaucracy who are making potential plans for the company's expansion tough.

But Andy and Luke believed that their mix of old school experience and youthful digital literacy was a great combination to keep their dealership thriving.

Albany Garden Machinery

Adam Bennett on the lawn he uses to demo robotic mowing around the back of the showroom

Also on the Isle Of Wight we visited Adam Bennett at Albany Garden Machinery in Newport.

Adam was telling us how over on the island, due to their unique micro-climate, they do seem to experience an extended season compared to the rest of the UK. The grass will start to grow earlier and finish later - which will reflect in their business patterns for the year. Currently and for the near future Adam was telling us, their workshop is rammed full. He described this year so far as "staggering."

A significant development recently for the dealership has been the increase in interest seen in robotic mowers. A new raised display as customers enter Adam's showroom has sparked many conversations and piqued curiosity in the technology. But where the real advantage has been generated, is that Adam is then able to walk the intrigued customer out, round the back of the store, to a beautiful, large lawned area, surrounded by rolling hills. Here an Automower can be viewed in action, trundling about, keeping the grass in great order. A better illustration of the what the automated system could provide for those perhaps wishing a change from their traditional ride-on, couldn't be hoped for.

Adam also shared that he believes that the stretch of water separating his dealership from the mainland, greatly helps in the battle against local customers purchasing from afar online traders. Once that extra shipping cost for ferrying across the sea is added into the equation, islanders will tend to realise that buying from a local specialist is a much wiser course of action.

Winchester Garden Machinery

L-R: Duncan, Jason Nettle and Steve

We ended our brief tour this week back on the mainland visiting the hq of Winchester Garden Machinery, run by Service Dealer's diarist of the season, Jason Nettle.

As readers of the magazine will know, Jason is never short of an opinion or three, and Duncan and I had an enjoyable time listening to him hold court on all manor of industry issues. In terms of the start of the season being delayed this year, Jason believes we are about 8 weeks behind. However he was not overly concerned about this as he felt that anything missed in the first 3 months of the season could be caught up in the final 3.

Jason's strong belief is that the industry - dealers and manufacturers alike - must stick together for the benefit of all. Both sides need and rely on each other. "If I don't sell, they don't sell," is how he puts it. 

He also has a deeply held view that dealers have to offer their customers something more - something to give consumers a reason to keep using them and to not look elsewhere. This has always been the case he says, but he feels it's more important now than ever.

Once again, Duncan and I would like to thank all who we met this week for their kindness and openness in talking to us about their businesses. We'll have more in the next issue of the magazine.

And if you have any suggestions for parts of the country we could take a trip to next time, please let us know.

Service Dealer are delighted to announce that STIHL will be returning to the Conference & Awards this year, as a Gold Sponsor.

A new venue has been announced for this year, with the Crowne Plaza at Stratford-Upon-Avon taking on hosting duties - with the date to mark up in your diaries being 30th November 2023.

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke  said, "It is great news that our friends at STIHL are returning this year to support our event dedicated to the UK dealer network.

"We look forward to welcoming them and their guests to what is going to be truly special occasion, packed with learning and networking opportunities."

Simon Hewitt, head of marketing at STIHL GB said, “STIHL has had a leading presence in Great Britain for 45 years and it remains one of the most important markets for us.

"We are really excited to be back sponsoring the Service Dealer Awards this year and look forward to the 2023 event in its new venue."

Further details about this year's Conference & Awards, including the theme of the event, will be announced soon.

Toro U.K. Limited have honoured their long-term employee, territory sales manager Alistair Tod, who recently celebrated his 35th anniversary with the company - with the manufacturer holding a surprise celebration at the Douglas Hayter Visitors’ Centre.

L-R: Alistair Tod and Craig Hoare
 
Alistair started his career in 1988 as a technical service assistant and 8 months later was promoted to be a territory sales manager. Craig Hoare, sales & marketing manager at Toro U.K., said, “Alistair is synonymous with the Hayter brand and has a wealth of knowledge. He is so well liked and respected by dealers and we were proud to celebrate his milestone."
 
Reminiscing on his time with the business, Alistair recalls that his first day in the office was “a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere, and the sales and service departments worked closely together. Everybody was so helpful which made it reassuring that I had joined a great company.” 
 
Alistair’s career has spanned many product developments from the Hayter Jubilee range, the growth of the Commercial range, including Prostripe and zero-turn mowers, and the more recent transition to battery power.
 
For anyone thinking of joining the industry, Alistair’s advice would be to “jump on board because you will be surprised where it can take you. The industry is so diversified, the opportunities are endless.”
 
Alistair continues to look after the South-East region, with new and established dealers who join us in congratulating Alistair on this milestone.

In January 2023, the Board of Husqvarna Group announced that it would start a recruitment process to identify a new CEO, with Pavel Hajman continuing as interim CEO.

Pavel Hajman

That recruitment process is now completed, with the Board appointing Pavel Hajman to continue as Group CEO. 

Pavel has been acting CEO since December 2022, following a career of more than 30 years in leading positions within and outside Husqvarna Group.

Tom Johnstone, chairman of the Husqvarna AB board explained, "It has been an extensive recruitment process and we strongly believe that Pavel has all the right qualities to continue to deliver on the strategy to build a stronger Husqvarna Group and to deliver our financial targets. His long experience and his knowledge of the Group combined with his leadership skills will continue the transformation journey which the company has already started."

Pavel Hajman has been a part of the Group Management team since 2014 and has a history within Husqvarna Group as President for Husqvarna Forest & Garden, SVP Operations Development and SVP IT. Prior to joining Husqvarna Group, Pavel held various leading positions within Seco Tools and Assa Abloy in Europe and Asia.

Pavel Hajman said, "I am excited to continue to build on our strong strategy. Our Group truly consists of passionate people that together push the boundaries and keep transforming our industry trough innovation. I am looking forward to continuing on this journey, creating sustainable value for our customers, shareholders and society."

GreenTek, the specialist supplier of grass, ground and turf maintenance equipment, has announced that Ian Ellis has become their new managing director.

Ian says with expansion into new overseas markets, and new product developments underway, he has exciting aspirations for the company’s future.

"We’re aiming to double our turnover in the next six years," he confirmed, "we’re expanding into new markets including the US, and have some exciting new products in development."

Ian continued saying he never forgets his roots within the business, explaining, “I joined the company in 2000 as a yard man and spent most of my time loading and unloading forklift trucks and stacking pallets in the workshop. I remember the whole site was on a slope which made stacking shelves in any sort of order quite a challenge."

In 2012, Ian became a shareholder within the business and soon afterwards was promoted to the position of operations manager and started looking for new premises for the expanding business. Now based at the 3.5 acre site in Walton near Leeds with 31,000 sq ft of onsite warehouse storage, the company says it can respond to customer orders quickly and deliver from stock. 

Iain continued, “I absolutely love my job which has given me great opportunities to expand my product knowledge and share this with customers through face-to-face product demonstrations.

“I’m extremely honoured and privileged to be offered the position of managing director and look forward to continuing to build on the legacy of innovation at GreenTek to grow the company in the future. 

“We’ve got exciting plans for new product development - both enhancements to existing machinery and completely new products - and we’re looking forward to expanding into new markets.” 

EGO say they partnered with the Eden Reforestation Projects last year with the aim of planting as many trees as possible.

Fast forward to now, and customers of the battery-powered equipment specialist can say that they have helped contribute to the thousands of trees that the global environmental initiative has planted in the manufacturer's name.

The Eden Reforestation Projects plant millions of trees each month across its global restoration network spanning regions such as Latin America and South-East Asia. The scheme says that not only are they helping the environment, but they are also providing local communities living in extreme poverty with the opportunities to become economically self-sufficient and earn fair wages.

Eden has different partnership levels, depending on the number of trees that have been planted. EGO began its partnership with Eden at the Sapling level, and with the support of its customers and regular donations, has moved up to the Grove level in just over 12 months.

Steve Roskell, director of marketing (EMEA) for EGO, said, “Our commitment to fighting climate change and leaving this world in a healthy state for future generations is important to us, and so partnering with such an incredible charity who shares the same values is crucial. We are thrilled to announce that we are officially a Grove level partner with Eden Reforestation Projects, and we would like to extend thanks to our loyal customers, who helped us make our biggest donation to the charity so far.”

EGO launched their Challenge 2025 campaign in 2020 that aims to "educate and empower people to make batteries the principal power source for outdoor power equipment."

Steve added, “We are very proud of our work with Eden as not only does it build on the success of Challenge 2025, but the two projects are very much working towards a similar goal, which is to create a greener and safer world for years to come. Having seen what we can achieve in only one year of partnership, we are very excited to see what more work can be done.”

The Small Robot Company has announced this week that they have met their initial crowdfunding target of £1.5m - following the pulling out of their lead investor at the 11th hour.

In a message to their supporters, SMC said, "Less than two weeks ago, we thought our mission could be over. Now with the backing of our incredible community, there is hope."

They went on to say that despite meeting 100% of their initial pledge target, "we're not out of the danger zone."

The company says they now have further targets of £3m where they say they can launch their first pilot franchises where they believe they can start to make progress again - and £4m which they say would position themselves for the next phase of growth.

The New Holland T7 Methane Power LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) prototype tractor has won the 2023 Green Good Design Award.

The award, which is bestowed by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, identifies and emphasises the world’s most important examples of sustainable design, with the aim of heightening awareness among the general public about the best efforts of global companies to adopt sustainable design.

The winning model is described by the manufacturer as the world’s first liquefied natural gas-powered tractor. Seen for the first time during CNH Industrial's Tech Day in December 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona, the company says the T7 builds on the heritage of the commercialised T6 Methane Power, fuelled by compressed natural gas, but this new model will more than double the autonomy of their current methane-powered products.

CNH Industrial’s in-house design team say they created a tractor with a new ‘Clean Blue’ colour and " . .an aesthetic designed to accent the tractor’s use of sustainable alternative fuels."

Carlo Lambro, brand president of New Holland Agriculture said, "The New Holland T7 Methane Power LNG marries great design with great tech and innovation, the result of our continued investment of our energies in creating something that is not only useful, sustainable and functional, but also beautiful to see."

Henton & Chattell has announced the launch of its new ride-on tractors as part of its Cobra range. This comes as part of the 10-year anniversary of Cobra and is the biggest innovation for the brand yet.

This significant investment in Cobra marks the next chapter for the brand, reiterates its success over 10 years and bolsters its position in the marketplace as one of the leading garden machinery brands.

In launching the new ride-on mowers, Henton & Chattell has tapped into its 1500+ dealer network and utilised the companies’ unique position in the industry to gain an understanding of what customers want and ensure that the products are expertly based exactly on the needs of UK gardeners. 

As such, the range has models for both domestic and professional markets so creates ample opportunities for dealers for both sales and servicing. 

Discussing the new range expansion, Peter Chaloner, managing director of Henton & Chattell, commented: “We’re so excited for this next chapter for Cobra. We’ve been developing the new range of ride-on mowers for some time now and it’s a significant step in the brand’s history. We can’t wait to hear what customers think of them! We have further plans to keep expanding Cobra over time with more products already planned for the year. To support this and accommodate our growth plans, we have also doubled our warehousing facilities in Nottingham which will also help us to ensure that we continue to create business opportunities for our dealers.”

The ride-on mower line-up features eight models, all aimed at helping those with larger lawns to mow with ease and comfort, at an affordable price. The range starts with two rider models. These have a particular focus on manoeuvrability, allowing gardeners to flow and mow around the gardens, taking into account garden beds, curved edges and obstacles such as trees, patios and planting schemes as well as any other intricacies that make UK gardens so unique.

The two compact LT62 rider models each have a 24” cutting width and comfortable seat. Being smaller, these models have great manoeuvrability coupled with a 75cm turning radius. The LT62 is available with either manual or hydrostatic automatic gear change transmission, with the latter offering smoother usage and even greater manoeuvrability.

For larger gardens and paddocks to mow, there are six ride-on tractors available. With cutting widths ranging from 33” up to 42”, and choices again being manual and hydrostatic gear changing, as well as a twin cutting blade and the option to collect the cuttings, release them back to the ground or turn them to mulch. They also offer enhanced comfort with an ergonomically designed padded seat and easy electric key starting.

For further information about Cobra, please visit www.cobragarden.co.uk.

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