How was everyone's Easter?

I have a feeling (fingers crossed) that it was probably on the good side? Surely the timing of those weather conditions last weekend must have given a welcome boost to the season's proceedings?

I've heard anecdotally from a few dealers that they have been incredibly busy just lately - and also one major manufacturer I spoke to was very pleased at the repeat orders they'd seen flooding in from the network over the bank holiday period. A quite significant increase on the previous year was mentioned.

Hopefully this can be the positive kick-start we all needed following a period of, shall we say, uncertainty. Interestingly, coming off the back of all the talk recently regarding the whys and wherefores of online selling, I read some information this week that implied all wasn't actually so rosy in that sector.

The IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index, which is a body which collects data on the UK's online retail market, issued a statement which talked about the late Easter resulting in "subdued growth for online retail in March". The Home & Garden sector in particular was singled out as one which had suffered from surprisingly low growth just lately. The report said this sector, " . . saw its impressive growth trajectory from earlier in the year slow to just +1.6% YoY."

Of course we are still talking about some growth for online sales, but is this unexpected slow down good news for the traditional dealer sector? Have you seen this reflected in boots through your doors?

As Chris Biddle's fantastic editorial just before the Easter break so impressively articulated, bricks and mortar dealers can do so much more to define themselves than simply throw discounts at everything - which is pretty much all online-only retailing has going for it in this specialist market. The passionate reactions to Chris's piece revealed just how dedicated the network is to providing this service - and how deeply it can hurt when it feels like there's an unfair advantage given to someone else.

Once an event such as a sunny 4-day public holiday encourages showrooms to be full of customers, that's when specialist dealers can really come into their own. Advice, expertise, up-selling, aftersales - these are the bread and butter of the network. Hopefully if there are punters out there, turning their back on the internet for significant purchases like garden machinery as those statistics might imply, these will have been converted into returning, loyal customers.

With some of the stories we have reported in these pages just recently, it's understandable to become frustrated with everything. As well as recent developments regarding selling policies, I've also heard grumblings from some dealers that they are struggling with the supply of parts from certain manufacturers. This can't be good for dealer-customer relationships when wait times become ever longer. There may well be legitimate reasons for the delay in supply - but it's dealers at the coal-face who will be the ones facing angry individuals wanting their machine back. And that's always going to be difficult.

But whilst I don't want to come across as trite in the face of these issues and say 'stay positive and look on the bright side', maybe staying positive and looking on the bright side could be an entirely justified course of action?

With the advanced technology products you stock in your stores, your knowledge of these machines, how they work, who they suit and how to maintain them - that's an incredibly attractive package for customers. Maybe we should have more faith that purely box-moving retailers will be found out? That price is not the only game in town?

I think the reactions we've seen in the comment sections of the last couple of Service Dealer Updates have starkly illustrated what we've always known. That specialist, independent dealers are a passionate, committed, resilient breed, with an iron resolve and a fundamental understanding of what makes their business successful.

If last weekend's weather conditions really were the kick-start the season needed, it'll be the skills, expertise and experience of the network which will keep that momentum flowing for the rest of the year and beyond.

Allett, the Staffordshire based specialist cylinder mower manufacturer, has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2019 in recognition of its growth in exports and contribution to the British economy.

A wholly British-owned company, Allett has designed and manufactured mowers for the sports and premium lawns market for over fifty years.

The award marks a major period of development for the company, with ranges of new products launched to meet the needs of strong emerging markets. Allett’s main export success has been achieved with their professional products for sports stadiums and training grounds, achieving increased sales with the USA, Russia, Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Spain leading their top ten markets in the past three years.

“We’re very honoured to receive the Queen’s Award,” said Austin Jarrett, Allett’s managing director. “It recognises our achievements and team efforts in bringing innovative developments in our mowing systems to meet challenges in overseas markets with large potential. We’re no longer confined to the seasonality of domestic sales cycles in the UK. Our mowers and turf maintenance systems are used throughout the world where they are maintaining sports surfaces and lawns to the highest standards.”

Allett was the major supplier to the host stadiums and contractors in Russia for the 2018 World Cup football tournament. The company concentrates on assisting a World Cup country for a period of three years to help attain the striking light green-dark green stripes in time for the main tournament. Markets with large potential such as the USA offer access to developments for sports such as American football and baseball as well as soccer. South America, where previously they have not had the financial resources, is now a developing market, says the company. Allett has placed its first mowing systems in China where there are great World Cup ambitions.

“The groundsmen in the UK are recognised as being the best in the world and they demand the highest standards from their equipment suppliers,” says Austin. “This demand drives our engineering team to improve and develop our mowing systems which consequently produce world class sports surfaces and garden lawns. We have benefitted from this and we are confident that we can deliver improved standards to the stadiums and lawns using our systems in the rest of the world. This is because of the help we get from our great customers in the UK. Every one of our machines proudly wears a Union Flag decal, and this really helps us in our export markets where the UK is revered for their lawns.

“We will be hosting Pitch Maintenance training seminars in China this year,” adds Austin, “to help set standards and expectations for the playing surfaces in this huge country which is growing rapidly as a footballing nation. Allett is more than just a machine. We’re strengthening our technical support and embarking on a plan of new product development to concentrate on a wider range of grass and sports turf maintenance products.”

Allett recently launched and continue to develop products powered by Lithium-ion battery. To accommodate the growth of the business the company recently moved their Hixon, Staffordshire base to a new, larger factory. The company has an after-sales team in place to support overseas national distributors and, as export sales grow, consider it is important to maintain the ‘brand value’ which has been a keystone to home market success.

Allett say the recognition of achievement the Queen’s Award for Enterprise brings is a proud moment in its history, and one the company can bear as a premium standard into the export markets of the future.

Handy Disribution have announced the roll-out of a new range of Greenworks 24v and 40v cordless garden-machinery across all Dobbies Garden Centres.

Dobbie’s new Greenworks cordless display

Liz Brennan, senior gardening buyer for Dobbies said, “We are delighted to be able to expand in this category. We are seeing a significant shift toward cordless machinery and the new Greenworks display in our stores highlights our commitment to exceed our customers’ expectations by giving them quality product at competitive prices.

“It’s important Dobbies is ahead of market trends. When compared to Ni-Cad and lead-acid units, our offering delivers improved durability, longer run times and much faster charge-times plus they don’t suffer from power-fade when not in use.”

The Greenworks range comprises a range of gardening equipment including lawnmowers, strimmers, brushcutters and hedge trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and more.

Husqvarna UK has completed its 2019 UK service training tour which focussed solely this year on the Automower - the company’s robotic product.

The recently concluded tour involved six venues and 12 training sessions. Sessions were split into days of basic or advanced training for their network of authorised service dealers, depending on knowledge level.

Paul Coates, UK & Ireland aftersales manager, said, "Take up for the training has been incredible with many sessions oversubscribed. In particular the advanced training, concentrating on our new AWD Automower, has been very well received. I have been heavily involved with Husqvarna Automower since 2005 and even I am impressed with how well this model performs on banks almost too steep to walk up.

“We will continue our dealer training throughout the year, both onsite in our purpose built training rooms at our Newton Aycliffe HQ and through our webinar training, which we introduced in 2018. This gives us the ability to run short training sessions direct to the dealer, even in the height of the season.”

The tour comes following the launch of the Automower 435X AWD, an AI-enabled, robotic mower with all-wheel drive and smart home connectivity. The new machine is designed to manage rough terrain and slopes with an incline of up to 70%, and works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT, and provides an open API for smart home integration.

Hayter has announced that the last mower of its Hayterette model has been sold.

This marks the end of the 62 years of which the Hayterette has been an integral part of the Hayter product offering.

The first Hayterette (right) alongside the latest Harrier

The Hayterette launched to the domestic market in 1957. The original red and silver hand-propelled mower featured an 18-inch cut and a 98cc Villiers engine.

It quickly became popular with home owners, and in 1967 it was presented the BAGMA award for ‘Best Horticulture Machine of the Year.’

Over the years, the components and the overall look of the Hayterette changed, but many of the original features which helped it gain its popularity have remained. Much like its predecessor, the latest model features an 18-inch cut, a push transmission and folding handlebars. The most recent Hayterette also came with an aluminum cutter deck, three swinging cutting blades, a lever to adjust height of cut between 13-70mm, and a Briggs & Stratton 625 series engine with easy start function.

“It is both with sadness and a great deal of pride we say goodbye to our last Hayterette,” said Christopher Cooper, product marketing manager at Hayter.

“Few mowers can claim to have remained in high demand for over 60 years. This achievement is a great testament to Douglas Hayter’s innovative design and engineering, and I’m sure he would have been immensely proud to see how well the Hayterette withstood the test of time.

"It’s great to have been a part of the history of this fantastic machine and we are excited for what the future brings.”

Kverneland has extended its coverage throughout Cornwall and south Devon, with the appointment of Vincent Tractors & Plant to its dealer network.

This means two of the dealer’s branches - Fraddon, Cornwall, and Plympton, Devon - now have access to the entire range of Kverneland implements, which includes ploughs, cultivators, drills, fertiliser spreaders, haytools and diet feeders.

With an extensive stock of parts and implements, Vincent Tractors & Plant is able to provide sales, plus after-sales service and support for new and existing Kverneland customers in the area - reinforced with its own Kverneland-trained engineers.

“We have been listening to our customers who have said that they would like us to supply a wider range of tillage products,” explains Paul Vincent, managing director of Vincent Tractors & Plant. “And the addition of Kverneland products to our portfolio will let us do that.”

Vincent Tractors & Plant is holding a grassland demonstration day on May 9, at Spriddlestone Farm near Plymouth, where visitors will be able to see and try out a wide range of machines, including a number of different Kverneland machines.

Following its recent acquisition of RBM Agricultural Limited, North Yorkshire-based agricultural machinery dealership Ripon Farm Services has extended its supply of the Kuhn Farm Machinery range to its newly acquired branches in Malton, Market Weighton, Brigg, Louth and Retford.

Geoff Brown (left) managing director of Ripon Farm Services, with Kuhn Farm Machinery area sales manager Nigel Donkin

A longstanding Kuhn franchisee across its established eight branches throughout Yorkshire, Humber and Teesside, Ripon Farm Services will now extend its geographical reach into Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Training in sales, servicing and parts in relation to the Kuhn offering is now ongoing at the five newly acquired branches as the first orders are taken.

Geoff Brown, managing director of Ripon Farm Services, said, “Our association with Kuhn goes back over 30 years and this partnership has been an integral part of our growth and development. Kuhn now offers one of the widest ranges of quality equipment and has in recent years significantly increased its level of technical support. As such, Kuhn will continue to fit well with Ripon Farm Services’ reputation of delivering high quality products and services.”

Timberwolf has appointed Mason Kings to offer sales and support to customers in North Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

Timberwolf woodchippers at Masons Kings

In addition, the manufacturer's long-term dealer Ben Burgess GroundsCare Equipment with its head office in Norwich, will extend its East Anglia coverage to include Bedford and Milton Keynes from a brand new, purpose built depot in Ellington.

Ben Burgess's new depot at Ellington

This latest business growth takes the number of Timberwolf dealers to 17, working from 38 depots, with over 225 trained technicians.

Guy Marshlain, sales and marketing director, said, “We know our machines are a crucial element in the smooth running of businesses throughout the UK, which is why end-to-end support for our customers is something we provide with every Timberwolf product.”

With three depots, in Exebridge, Chudleigh and St Columb, the Masons Kings team of over 40 trained technicians will ensure parts are located even closer to businesses, reducing down-time required for servicing and providing quick access to spares, as well as an increase to the Timberwolf sales and demonstration teams in the area.

Ben Burgess GroundsCare Equipment’s new depot based in Ellington enhances the already comprehensive service support Timberwolf owners are given in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

This announcement follows the recent news that Tallis Amos Group have also been appointed by Timberwolf.

Kubota (UK) has teamed up with Coleg Cambria Llysfasi based in North Wales, to train future workers in land-based engineering.

Together they have launched the Kubota Apprenticeship Scheme, a three-year block release programme which will blend education at the Denbighshire facility with on-the-job experience.

Michael Bywater, group training manager at Kubota (UK) Limited and Simon Parker, agricultural engineering lecturer at Llysfasi

Simon Parker, an agricultural engineering lecturer at Llysfasi, near Ruthin, says teaming-up with the manufacturer will give their learners a head-start on entering a career in the sector.

“We are very proud to be working with Kubota on this new venture, offering a fantastic training programme for their dealership technicians throughout the whole of the UK and Ireland,” said Simon.

“The three-year block release programme will allow the trainees to enjoy full time employment with their local Kubota dealership as well as formal specialist training during their time in college.

“The qualification they will be studying for is the new City and Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma, so this is an excellent opportunity for any young person starting their career in land-based engineering.”

Michael Bywater, group training manager of Kubota (UK) Limited, believes the union will have a major impact on the future of the industry.

“We are extremely pleased to be working in partnership with Coleg Cambria Llysfasi,” he said.

“This partnership will enable us to train the next generation of dealership technicians to the highest levels, with a view to providing the highest of standards of service to the end user.

“We are proud to support Llysfasi, at the forefront of inspiring the future of the land-based industries.”

Reesink Turfcare has secured the UK distribution rights for Core Solutions, a core collecting blade attachment from US-based Nordic Plow.

Designed for both golf courses and sports surfaces, this product fits onto all brands and models of aeration equipment and bunker rakes to deliver an efficient and cost-effective way to remove cores from the playing surface in minutes.

Core Collector ProCore 648

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager of Reesink Turfcare UK, says of the new addition, “Any tool that can complete a labour intensive process such as core clean-up with less manpower will generate interest. As a distributor we aim to bring our customers innovative products and the lightweight 64-inch collector means cores are removed as the turf is aerated in one pass and that simple fact makes it a perfect solution for core collection.”

The blade of the Core Solutions attachment has been developed to take into account the fact that aerating with the grain of the green or side to side reduces stress to the turf and results in a flawless scrape, says product manufacturer Nordic Plow.

Further advantages include the removable sleeve which the company says removes cores on severely undulated greens without the need for tools and the adjustable scraper edge which can free float or lock into position. The brushes mean if users topdress first the cores can still be removed if the turf is wet and there’s no issue with small tine clear up. 

Jeff concludes, “We’re continually looking to extend the range of innovative turfcare solutions we offer our customers, choosing those which align with what the market demands and that fit our values for quality and innovation. Core Solutions brings this, and more, to our portfolio.”

Swift are calling to dealers who wish to embrace the fast expanding cordless market and want to make some good money at ultra competitive prices.

With Swift Garden this is achievable at market leading prices.

Examples of prices:

• 40v 37cm Digital brushless mower with battery & charger, special offer £199.99 inc VAT - dealer profit £55
• 40v grass trimmer with batter and charger £129.99 inc VAT - dealer profit £33
• Robot mower for 1,000m2 special offer £499.99 inc VAT - dealer profit £175
• 120v self propelled £469.99 inc VAT - dealer profit £117

To find out more call Ron Miller on 07853 005790 or e-mail ron.miller@ngpgroup.eu

CARLISLE is the preferred choice of tyre for professional garden maintenance landscapers, contractors and garden machinery dealers… and it’s no wonder why.

With the warmer, sunnier weather now upon us, people everywhere are beginning to dig out garden machines that have spent the last few months undercover.

Tyres are one area often overlooked when planning grounds care maintenance, with users finding that a few months out of sight and out of mind has played havoc with their condition. Punctures, perishing and general disrepair are all scenarios’ users face when first checking on their machines after their hibernation.

As Carlisle’s Premier Distributor for the last 30 years, Tyre-Line are the ideal people to call on to help, even in a last-minute scenario. They have vast stocks of all the popular sizes and patterns, for all manor of garden machinery and maintenance equipment, including wheelbarrows and trolleys, to ride-on lawnmowers and compact tractors, all available for immediate dispatch from their centrally located warehouse.

Fitted as Original Equipment and aftermarket replacements on many of today’s biggest brand names in GM like John Deere, Toro, Countax and Ransomes, Carlisle’s history of quality and excellence in the Lawn, Garden and Golf markets is easy to see and is also why most people know the brand and trust them to turn to for aftermarket replacement. Their portfolio of tyres in this field include popular and well-known tread patterns like Multi Trac, Turf Pro, Links, Turf Master, Turf Saver, Turf Trac, Field Trax and All Trail, all designed to offer maximum traction whilst generating the minimum amount of ground disturbance possible.

In addition, Carlisle produce a range of specialist pattern designs for more bespoke use machinery such as Turf Smart (designed for Zero Turn Mowers), Fast Trax (designed for Bank Mowers), Super Lug / Tru Power (designed for traction, when maximum grip is needed) and Reliance (a Semi-Solid tyre for cutting decks giving zero punctures and zero downtime). These specialist tyres make the Carlisle range one of the most complete within the specialist tyre industry and Tyre-Line are proud to represent and distribute the brand throughout the UK.

Multi Trac C-S

For more details and pricing on the complete Carlisle GM range of tyres, contact the Tyre-Line Aftermarket team on 01458 250350 or email aftermarket@tyreline.com.

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