JOHN DEERE ANNOUNCE EXPANSION PLANS FOR DEALERS TO FILL TERRITORY

John Deere have announced that dealers Ben Burgess and Farol are set to expand their businesses into the East Midlands during 2020 - covering the area which would be left when Sharmans Agricultural no longer hold the franchise at the end of October.

The manufacturer says Burgess and Farols are now actively recruiting staff and acquiring new premises to facilitate the expansion.

Ben Burgess is planning to open a new outlet in central Rutland to cover that county and surrounding areas. In addition, Farol is looking to establish a new outlet in Newark, focusing on servicing customers in the surrounding parts of Nottinghamshire, west Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

Currently these areas are served by Sharmans Agricultural Ltd - and will continue to be until October 31st this year. Sharmans announced via social media in December 2019 that they had been informed by John Deere that after this date they were not to be part of the manufacturer's future Growth Strategy. Describing at the time how they felt the decision was "brutal", Sharman's statement said they learnt of John Deere’s decision at a meeting at Agritechnica in November 2019. Sharmans said that 350 European dealer groups were informed that in future there would be a reduction of approximately a third to a fifth of current dealer groups.

In an official statement announcing Burgess and Farol's expansions, John Deere Limited division sales manager Joedy Ibbotson said, “Both businesses have built their success on an ethos of first class, proactive customer service and support, and are committed to investing in their future growth.

“In the interim period before their new premises are officially opened, both dealers are well positioned to cover the new marketing areas from their existing outlets. Both have also invested heavily in staff and systems to meet customers’ increasing demand for advanced, precision ag technology, and we are confident that they will continue to provide the highest possible standards of customer service as they grow their respective businesses still further with John Deere.”

With its headquarters in Norwich and an additional five outlets in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, Ben Burgess has held the John Deere franchise for over 55 years. It opened its newest outlet on the A14 at Ellington in Cambridgeshire in May 2019.

Based at its head office in Milton Common, Oxfordshire, Farol has five more outlets in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Berkshire and West Sussex.

Farol initially took on the John Deere agricultural machinery franchise in 2004, covering central & southern England.