ANOTHER DEALERSHIP PERMANENTLY CLOSED

TurfPro has learnt that another outdoor powered machinery dealership has closed its doors permanently this spring.

Ayre Mowers who were based at Jurby Industrial Estate, in Sulby on the Isle Of Man, are the latest businesses to succumb to circumstances so far in 2024.

The dealership offered service and repair for garden machinery as well as being a main dealer for Husqvarna on the island. They also stocked Cub Cadet, Efco, McCulloch, Flymo, Oregon, Briggs & Stratton, Loncin and Wolf-Garten.

TurfPro reached out to owner Andy Brew who told us the business never fully recovered from footfall ceasing during the pandemic.

Andy, who bought the business in 1999 following leaving the RAF, told us that in 2006 they took on the Husqvarna franchise and found great success with Automowers. However Andy says things really started to change after the 2008 crash, specifically when another supplier, Saxon Industries, lost Snapper and  OleoMac and their original Husqvarna rep, John Syme, moved on.

"We found the mounting financial effort to fit Husqavrna's dealer commitments on winter stocking becoming a burden on us, as we did not borrow finance for the business," explained Andy. "However we persevered and tried to increase our market share by leasing a showroom in our local town with good passing trade and parking. Another Husqvarna dealer was appointed 16 miles away in the capital though, and we closed that facility after a year barely breaking even."

Regrouping back home, Andy says the business rode the storm of increased competition, concentrating on their core business of service and repairing and AutoMowers, seeing sales grow.

He continued, "In 2019 we had the opportunity to lease a government-owned industrial unit with more space, better parking and the vision that a more expansive development of the retail park was on the cards. So we grabbed it and, wow, the first six months saw a exponential rise in sales. And then the pandemic hit, from which we have not recovered. Footfall has virtually stopped as the dependence on the internet has become the norm. Also the price benchmark of shipping to the Island is now exorbitant. Also we've seen rent increases of 14% - and so on!"

"So, with all these factors and some personal health issues thrown in to boot, we tried to sell the business locally but with little interest. We finally came to the decision to close Ayre Mowers, following a 25 year chapter of our lives."