Service Dealer held another of our regular video conference calls on Wednesday. This time we spoke once again with senior representatives of manufacturers, business service suppliers and trade associations.

Following the conversation, owner of Service Dealer, Duncan Murray-Clarke, said, "With the opening of golf courses and garden centres this week, it seems that slow careful steps are being taken which we hope will give a few more dealers the confidence to open in whatever capacity they can.”

Back to work?

It seemed appropriate somehow that we held our conversation on the day when parts of the country were making their first, tentative steps back to work. Clearly the start of a slow process, it is going to be strange and changed business world we begin to emerge into.

Just take a look around your own dealership. How does it compare to just a few short months ago? It's hard to get one's head around isn't it? That's if you are even open.

On this point, there was discussion on our call regarding whether dealers are open or not yet. It was debated that with the well-publicised return of the garden centre trade this week, will this act as encouragement for the outdoor powered machinery dealers who have been closed, to look to begin the process of reopening?

It was reiterated that closing for dealers in our sector was never actually mandatory. Understandably, there's a desire now that the message is clear within the industry that dealers are allowed to be open for business - as long of course, they are able to adhere to the social distancing rules.

In regards to compliance with the social distancing measures, a couple of recommendations were given to us as to places where dealers could source items such as signage, protective screens, sanitiser stations etc. BAGMA have some information on their site about kit to get post-lockdown ready and a company called Marsel P.P.E was also cited a potential source of materials.

We were told by one manufacturer that they believed a handful more of their dealers had reopened in some capacity since we'd last spoke a fortnight ago - with 46% open being their latest figure. It was hoped by many on the call that if the message was strong within the industry that dealerships can take measures to make their way of working Covid-safe, the number of open retailers would continue to increase.

We also heard from BAGMA and the AEA that the government had acknowledged receipt of the joint letter which they sent on behalf of the commercial groundscare sector. Whilst it didn't offer a lot in the way of any actual detail or promises, it has at least raised awareness of the importance of the machinery sector in supporting the maintenance of green spaces. Something which would've come into sharper focus this week of course, with the re-opening of golf courses and the wider use of public parks.

Industry events 2020

An interesting point of discussion which arose was looking ahead to the autumn. How will live manufacturer demo days and face-to-face interactions between suppliers and dealers fare? Right now, the thought of events like this taking place does seem a very real challenge.

You can read today how Stiga have taken the tough decision to postpone their always well attended, three-day September dealer conferences. MD Gary Whitney says they are looking at alternative ways to showcase their new products for 2021 to their dealers.

The question arises, will any of the raft dealer demo days we traditionally see in the early autumn months be able to take place? And if they do, will dealers feel comfortable in attending?

It's sad because events like these, however much we sometimes moan about their timing or location, do perform such a valuable role of bringing the dealer network together to share knowledge and to catch up. The situation won't be easy for both organisers and attendees.

A similar concern to this which some manufacturers naturally have, is whether dealerships across the country will be happy to welcome in sales reps to their premises later this year? What format will those interactions take? Rather than zooming all over their territories will your area sales managers be simply Zooming you instead?

Therefore we thought we'd run a short survey today to gauge the thoughts of our readers on these matters. It would be great if you could spend a few moments to let us know what your feelings are regarding the fate of autumn 2020's manufacturer-organised, dealer demo days.

Looking ahead

In other areas of discussion it was felt that movement in the right direction was beginning to happen across the industry, with some staff being recalled from furlough for example. On this subject, whilst we knew that staff are not allowed to perform any paid-for work for their employer whilst placed on furlough, it turns out they are permitted to undertake training relevant to their job. So maybe whilst at home, various remote learning could be taken advantage of by any staff you don't have with your business currently.

Also the supply chain was once again said to have held up pretty well under the circumstances - certainly there were no horror stories reported. Factories around the world are said to be cranking up and the logistics companies are coming back on stream.

One point of discussion which did arise, was whether as a hangover from this period of lockdown, would new product development and release suffer further down the line? Has the prevention of design teams getting together and moving around the world meant that R&D has been adversely affected? It's just speculation at this stage obviously, but if it has had an effect I suppose we won't notice for a couple of years, considering how long the development period is for new products to come to market?

Certainly it seems accepted working life will change for both manufacturers and dealers. All will have to adapt and all will, sadly, have to deal with the effects of this inevitable recession. 

But as we've said many time before, adapting is in the nature of independent dealers. How quickly have we seen remote ordering come into its own in the past few weeks for example?

Another suggestion mooted, was that the 'sharing economy' - or as it used to be known, the hire department! - might become increasingly appealing for consumers? With everyone's finances tight following this unparalleled catastrophe, perhaps the short-term loan of equipment to undertake one-off jobs, might be a prudent way forward for a lot of customers?

Who knows? This is uncharted territory we are moving into.

Stiga UK announced this week that they have taken the decision not to run their popular dealer conference, scheduled to take place in September.

Attendees at last year's Stiga UK conference

Managing director Gary Whitney said, "Every year, we look forward to connecting with our dealers and sharing our vision for the future. As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the government advice to limit social contact and avoid large gatherings we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Stiga Dealer Conference planned to take place in September 2020.

"This was a very tough call to make. We all really enjoy the conference and it is an incredibly important event in the Stiga UK calendar - but we need to prioritise the health and safety of our dealers, that of our employees and everyone else involved in putting the conference on.

"2021 will be full of exciting new products for Atco, Mountfield and Stiga, and our task now is to find a safe way to showcase these to our dealerships. We will be sharing details as our plans develop in the coming weeks.”

According to figures released by the AEA, the number of agricultural tractors (over 50hp) registered in April 2020 was less than half that of a year earlier at 862 units.

Very high registrations in April 2019, associated with the original planned date for the UK to leave the EU, meant that it was always likely that the number of registrations in the same month this year would be significantly lower, say the AEA.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the association said, "This is the lowest April figure since at least 2000, although it may have been affected by slight delays in processing registrations at DVLA, due to Coronavirus. Registrations during the month will no doubt also have been reduced by a number of factory closures across Europe."

The latest figure brings the total for the year to date to 3,677 machines, 23% down on the equivalent period last year and the lowest for the opening four months of the year since 2016.

Chris Biddle, the founder of Service Dealer and Turf Pro has been announced as the recipient of the 2020 IAgrE (Institution of Agricultural Engineers) Award for Contribution to the Landbased Sector.

The Award was due to have been presented at the IAgrE AGM and Awards to be held at the headquarters of Amazone UK on 30 April. The event has been provisionally rescheduled for October, but may now be included with 2021 Awards next April.

Chris, a Fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers, had edited Landwards, IAgrE’s professional journal for 12 years before stepping down from the role last December.

He was proposed for the Award by Alastair Taylor, former Chief Executive of IAgrE who retired last summer who said “This Award is made to those who have made a sustained contribution to the Landbased industry throughout their career”

“Editing Landwards is a challenging role. It demands a keen eye on the shifting sands of the Agricultural Engineering and allied industries. Chris was always keen to keep the journal ahead of the curve in terms of content and editorial and as such, it pushed at the boundaries and viewed by members as a useful account of the developments of the IAgrE community.”

He added, “IAgrE's association with Chris has been highly beneficial and opened doors to new people and new themes. His work has enhanced the reputation of the institution and introduced us to new audiences.

“Chris has spent his career within Landbased industries, and was able to draw on his wide experience and contacts across Agricultural Engineering, which allowed for an interesting range of article and editorial, linking his experience with modern day and innovative thinking.”

The Institution of Agricultural Engineers, based on the campus of Cranfield University, was founded in 1938. It is a registered charity, working to promote professionalism amongst academic, practitioner and industry members from across the landbased sector. It also provides professional qualifications through the Engineering Council and the Society for the Environment.

Chris Biddle was succeeded as Editor of Landwards by Andy Newbold, of Cumbria-based FarmSmart Events, a former President of IAgrE.

This week, Service Dealer held a call to help pull together an industry dealer toolkit.

The Toolkit will be available to all dealers in the UK and Ireland and is designed to help overcome knowledge gaps in digital communications and sales techniques in these testing times.

Service Dealer owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke said, “It just made sense that after several challenging years, we pulled together some of the best practice in the dealer community and shared it. On that note I would like to thank Pete (Strathbogie), Chris (GGM Groundscare), James (Hayes Garden Machinery) and Jason (Winchester Garden Machinery) who are all award winning dealers, for giving up their time and agreeing to share best practice and their successful experiences.

"Not everyone is the same when it comes to online opportunities and social media, but it is crucial for today’s dealer to embrace this route to market and get across all they have to offer as a traditional machinery dealer. It was important that we approach this in a way that helps a variety of levels and based on real dealer experiences. Experiences that we all know work.”

Also joining the call was renowned social media expert, Teresa Heath-Wareing and BAGMA’s Keith Christian.

Joining the taskforce will be marketing communications experts from TAP who will be assembling the toolkit which will be hosted off the Service Dealer website and will be free of charge to all dealers.

Gary Tully, head of trade sales & product development of Cyril Johnston's Gardencare has been appointed as the new sales and marketing director of Stiga UK. He will be taking up his new role in May 2020.

Stiga say Gary has considerable experience in the garden machinery sector, having worked closely throughout his career with dealers and manufacturers. As well as sales and marketing, his own brand experience also involves identifying market trends, specifying, sourcing, and bringing new products to market.

"I am really looking forward to joining the Stiga team," said Gary. "As one of Stiga's distribution partners in Ireland, I have worked closely with the company for 20 years. I have always admired the company's approach, their culture and determination to succeed. 

"When anyone takes over a new position with a company it is always a challenge. The times we are living in, pose an extraordinary challenge that will require a new flexible approach. I know with Stiga we can face and overcome these problems. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead."

Campey Turf Care Systems have said they are putting plans in place to safely reintroduce their team over the next few weeks, that will still strictly adhere to government social distancing guidelines.

Campy say that like many other companies, they have been operating with a skeleton staff at the main office to provide customers with key parts and tines. They have also stopped all demos because transporting machines to various sites cannot be classed as essential travel.

A spokesperson for the company said, "During this time the understanding from customers that orders may be slightly delayed has been fantastic as has the understanding that demos aren’t necessary during this time - with any future demos requested, set to be fulfilled when it is safe to do so."

Machinery has been available for collection at the main office using a routine that eliminates the need for personal contact. Using this as a basis, Campey say they are confident that as the government guidelines are changed, they will be ready without delay.

Bobcat says that to help support UK customers in these difficult times, it has launched a new finance campaign called ‘Work Now, Pay Later’, providing a 180 day schedule for the first payment, to underpin the purchase of new Bobcat loaders, mini-excavators and telehandlers.

The company describes the scheme as the most attractive finance product they have ever offered. Available to customers in all markets, including agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, construction, rental, waste and recycling the finance scheme covers every type of Bobcat machine, except rotary telehandlers.

Andrew Higgins, director, Doosan Financial Solutions EMEA, said, “We have never seen market conditions like these and we wanted to provide our customers with a solution to help them in these harsh circumstances. As a result, we have launched our very special finance scheme to help businesses using compact equipment, to help alleviate their worries about cash flow in these uncertain times."

The scheme is a special hire purchase promotion in which customers only need to pay their first payment after 180 days - which the company says allows customers to generate profits from their new machines, well before the first finance payment has to be completed.

Users of the scheme will have an interest rate of 0.99% and the duration of the plan allows them to spread payments for up to 66 months. Customers will need to pay an initial downpayment followed by a nominal payment of £10.00 per month for the first six months.

Some eBay finds can be described as pure gold! In this case, a vintage circa. 1971, unused and no doubt collectable Toro 21” Greensmaster pedestrian mower, which it's new owner says "cuts like a dream".

The listing was won by Toro’s Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award 2018 winner Dan Ashelby’s dad, Mark from Mark Ashelby Grounds who has spent 25 years in sports turf management and says he knows a good deal when he sees one.

Dan Ashelby giving the Toro Greensmaster, which is thought to have been manufactured in 1971, a one-off outing on a bowling green

One of the precursors to the Toro Greensmaster 1000 greens mowers range, Dan says of his Dad’s win, “We couldn’t believe it when we saw the listing. The machine was bought new by a cricket club in the early 1970s but never used. It’s in mint condition with no wear anywhere. It came with the original user manual and the original stickers on the engine. The red paint is still freshly painted like new on the cutting reels!

“It was bought as a collectible and is too good to use, but we couldn’t resist setting it up and giving it a quick one-off outing on a bowling green. And she cut like a dream.”

Greenkeeping is in the Ashelbys’ blood with Dan’s greenkeeping education beginning at a young age. His father was head greenkeeper at Gatley Golf Club and Dan has been helping out around the course since he was eight years old. Since winning the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award in 2018 Dan has achieved head greenkeeper position at Hartford Golf Club in Cheshire.

He says: “Greenkeeping is definitely a shared interest Dad and I have. Things like this recent eBay find are good fun and it’s great to bring a bit of its history into the family. I’m a big Toro fan and love using the new machines at work, so it’s been great to have the opportunity to see and use one of the very first Toro machines to arrive in the UK, which was well before I eventually did!”

So, what’s next for this rare vintage find? Dan says: “The rest of its life will be much like that of a classic car, enjoying the occasional run out on a nice sunny day!”

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is giving one lucky reader plus their guest, the chance to visit GIE+EXPO, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment show in Louisville, USA, in October 2020.

The winner of this amazing free to enter competition, who must currently work at a dealership, will win two tickets to the show as well as travel to the US, transfers and accommodation.

SUPPORTED BY

Between the 21st-23rd October, GIE+EXPO will showcase the hottest products and technological innovations in the global outdoor power equipment industry - and you could be immersed in the latest developments plus be able to network with peers from across the world.

Throughout the three days you will be able to visit over 1000 exhibitors across the showfloor. There is even 20 acres of outdoor space for demonstrations and test-driving, so you can put the equipment through its paces.

You’ll also be able to attend a raft of insightful seminars aimed at boosting your efficiency and bottom line.

This really is an incredible opportunity to get away from the business for a few days and to come back with a wealth of new ideas from across the globe.

To enter the competition and for full terms and conditions click here.

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