HAYTER LTD CHANGE NAME

Hayter Ltd, which is part of The Toro Company, changed its name to Toro U.K. Limited on Tuesday last week (3rd August 2021).

TurfPro spoke to Craig Hoare, sales and marketing manager at Toro U.K. Limited (pictured above) to gain some clarification on the change:

TurfPro: Is the Hayter name disappearing? 

Craig Hoare: The Hayter brand will remain, and we will continue to invest in and develop the brand. New Hayter machines will still carry the Hayter name and remain in the classic Hayter green.

SD: Was the company concerned that confusion could arise regarding the Toro products distributed in the UK by Reesink?

CH: By changing the company name we are bringing the UK operation inline with the rest of the Toro organisation. As per the press release we will be focussing on growing the Toro brand within the Consumer, Landscape Contractor, Arboricutural and Light Construction Markets. We are confident that there will not be any confusion about the change as we continue to work with Reesink who distribute our Toro Grounds and Golf equipment.

In the company's official statement that Craig refers to, the organisation said the name change to Toro U.K. Limited will align the UK operation with the rest of Toro’s subsidiaries outside of the United States, and the strategic focus to grow the Toro brand in the consumer, light construction, landscape contractor and arboricultural markets.

The statement contiued, "Toro U.K. Limited remains committed to the Hayter brand, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary. The brand will continue to be a significant part of the Toro U.K. Limited portfolio with manufacturing and selling of the Hayter range of premium quality lawn care products continuing from its Spellbrook factory in the UK.

"The Hayter brand will retain the Royal Warrant, with which it has been proudly associated since the 1960s and Toro U.K. Limited will continue to invest and develop new Hayter products, including the new 60v Hawk range, which comes to market this autumn."

The Toro Company acquired Hayter Ltd in 2005 and say they continue to invest in the UK manufacturing plant. They say the new company name will not change the nature of business, nor will it have any effect on existing relations with customers, partners, suppliers, contracts or personnel.

Craig Hoare concluded, “The change is in name only and everything else is business as usual.

"The new name will help us to layout our strategy for the Toro & Hayter brands in the UK market and grow with our existing retailers.”