Whatever these past months have been, they certainly haven't been lacking in news for our industry.

Today we have more shuffling of the John Deere dealer pack, retirements, appointments and plans for forthcoming shows and events. 

Briggs & Stratton

You may have also already read the news regarding the developments surrounding the ongoing Briggs & Stratton saga. The small engine maker this week entered into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. With a so-called 'stalking-horse' bidder in place, it appears that the iconic name will continue to hold its integral place in the industry.

If matters had gone badly for the company and the brand had disappeared, the impact across the sector would have been massive. 

One presumes much reorganisation will now take place across the business. Whether there are new grand plans for the turf machinery product lines Ferris, Billy Goat, Simplicity, Snapper, and Snapper Pro, which previous to all this had been put up for sale, I guess we'll have to wait to see.

The noises coming out of the potential buyer KPS Capital Partners are, as you might expect, all very positive. They are already talking about growing the brand "..aggressively through strategic acquisitions."

For the UK dealer network, some stability and a focus on their core offerings would be appreciated I'm sure. For Briggs' customers, retailers, colleagues and employees this recent period will have been a worrying and stressful time. Reassurance that this Chapter 11 move is the right course of action for a positive and bright future, would be most welcomed.

There can be few companies in the OPE sector with such heritage as Briggs & Stratton. To see the century-old manufacturer fold would have been a real blow for the industry.

Chris Biddle in his Inside Agri-Turf podcast today is reflecting on the legacy and the history of the company, as well as its possible future.

Shows and events

Elsewhere today, you can read about the plans in place for November's Service Dealer Conference - the theme of which, Smart Working, we are pleased to announce.

I must say, I do not envy anyone whose job it is to put together conferences and events at the moment! With rules and guidelines constantly in flux, plus the threat of more spikes and waves ever present, it must be keeping organising teams awake at night!

That said, plans are well advanced for 2020's Service Dealer Conference. Owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke says today that the event will take place on November 19th ". . physically or digitally - or both!".

Organisers right now have to take this fluid approach to their plans. They need to be fully up to speed with how they could put on their event safely, complying with all health requirements - plus have the contingencies in place, should circumstances change and dictate a radical alteration is required.

Clearly we hope that organisers of all events in our sector will continue to see progress to allow them to stage their shows. The postponements we've experienced this year, from our major national exhibitions to all the county and country shows around the UK, have left a sizeable hole in the industry's calendar.

We know that grumbling about timings and locations of shows is an ever-popular pastime, but now they have been taken away, I think many are missing what we had. Their disappearance this year is both bad for business and bad for the social beasts in us all. That interaction, of getting together with friends, colleagues and peers we may only see a couple of times a year, is sorely missed.

The AEA are saying that they hope to be able to stage the first post-lockdown industry get-together soon, with Tillage Live looking like it can go ahead in September. With the large outdoors setting Tillage utilises, they believe distancing will be possible and they'll be able to run a perfectly successful event.

Let's hope it's the first of many.