Dealer update: CNH dual-brand strategy causes a stir
Agricar’s Forfar depot in Angus will soon handle Case IH as well as New Holland products © Agricar Forfar CNH’s relentless dual-branding strategy hits the headlines again as agricultural machinery dealer franchises remain in a state of flux.
See also: Dealer update: Pecks leads flurry of distribution changes
Agricar and Ravenhill handed Case IH franchise in Scotland
CNH’s Case IH/New Holland dual-brand dealerships strategy has reached northern Scotland, where New Holland dealers Agricar and Ravenhill have been awarded the Case IH territories.
A dearth of Case IH coverage in the Highlands and islands will be tackled by Ravenhill through its presence at Dingwall and Orkney, as well as across Aberdeenshire and Morayshire through its established branches at Aberdeen, Elgin, Maud and Turriff.
Ravenhill managing director Stewart Davidson commented: “Our customers rely on us for choice, expertise and dependable backup. Representing both Case IH and New Holland strengthens our ability to deliver on that promise from all our depots.”
Agricar, meanwhile, gets to handle Case IH products alongside the New Holland portfolio throughout Angus, Fife, Kincardineshire, Perthshire and Stirlingshire from its five depots in Cupar, Forfar, Laurencekirk, Perth and Stirling.
Director Derek Johnston said: “This is a significant milestone for Agricar and for the customers we serve as becoming a dual brand dealer gives us the ability to offer a wider range of machinery solutions while continuing to deliver the high-quality support our customers expect.”
The move is not without casualties, of course, and current dealers served with 12-month notice of contract termination took to social media to express to customers their disappointment in the restructuring.
From their Elgin base, Mark and Jackie Garrick said: “We were neither involved nor consulted on this decision. Since being appointed as a Case IH dealer in 2016, we have proudly represented the brand with dedication and commitment.
“This decision has come as a shock to our team, particularly given that this past year has been one of the strongest in terms of tractor sales and parts performance, and we were told by CNH that our business was over-performing, which makes this decision difficult to comprehend.”
Andy Mitchell and Liam Wylie at AL Agri, Forfar emphasised their continuing relationship with Case IH for the 12 months’ notice period: “We have enjoyed working with Case IH over the past five years and are extremely proud of everything we have achieved, having brought the Case brand back to the area.
“We are not going anywhere and will continue to provide the high quality of sales, service and parts selection in stock…while we start to look at an alternative source of CNH parts for when the notice period ends.”
While thanking Case IH for its support over the years, Jimmy and Karen Low at Kelty-based J Low Agri have similar intentions: “We have no plans to move away from servicing your Case IH machinery and will look at sourcing parts from other suppliers when the notice period ends.”
David Rapkins, CNH commercial business director, emphasised the need to help long-established dealerships, such as Agricar and Ravenhill, grow: “Their move to dual brand representation reflects our shared commitment to building a strong, stable, and future-ready dealer network.
“We are delighted to support both organisations as they expand their offering and continue to invest in customer success.”
Dealer trio gain more Case IH territory
Startin Tractors is extending its Case IH territory following Johnsons of Cheadle withdrawal © Startin Tractors
Three neighbouring dealerships have been gifted additional territory by the decision of Gary, Susan and Les Johnson to trim their business operations at Cheadle in Staffordshire by relinquishing the Case IH franchise.
Pontesbury Tractors at Minsterley near Shrewsbury will expand to cover the west of Stafford, including Market Drayton; Startin Tractors at Atherstone, Warwickshire, extends its area to include the east of Stafford, Stoke‑on‑Trent and northwards into Derbyshire; and Lloyd will assume responsibility for the north‑west section of the territory, operating from its Holmes Chapel depot.
Frank Sutton for Kverneland at Bridgend
The Bridgend branch of the Frank Sutton dealership in South Wales has been awarded the full Kverneland product range across a patch previously covered by Edwards Machinery at Bridgend, between JE Rees to the west and Hopkins Machinery eastwards.
Frank Sutton’s Raglan headquarters in Monmouthshire is not part of the agreement as it’s located on Hopkins Machinery’s turf supplying Kverneland and also the group’s Vicon and Kubota-branded products.
Hamilton Ross grows Vaderstad territory
Vaderstad seed drill, precision planter and tillage products, parts and service are now available across Fife and Kinross from Hamilton Ross Group’s Cupar branch, a territory previously handled by Fife Tractors in the town.
The Cupar team will draw on the expertise gained at the Hamilton Ross branches at Bishopton, Campbeltown, Perth and Tarbolton, which already hold the Vaderstad franchise.
Hughes Bros successor wins Kubota
Newly-formed dealer Hughes Agri holds the Kubota franchise © Hughes Agri
The successor business to Hughes Bros – Hughes Agri Oswestry – has been confirmed as a full-line Kubota dealer, covering north Shropshire and the north/mid-Wales border region. It also handles Bomford Turner and Ifor Williams products.
Established in April 2025 as a spares and repairs business following the closure of the family-run Hughes Bros operation, Hughes Agri Oswestry has continued to provide after sales service, parts and warranty support for existing Kubota customers in the area.
The firm is run by six partners employing two members of staff, with Tim Hughes the dealer principal.
Pallisers bags Nugent franchise
Nugent trailers add to Pallisers of Hereford portfolio © Pallisers of Hereford
Machinery dealership Pallisers of Hereford has added Nugent trailers to its product line, supplying the complete range of livestock boxes, sheep trailers, flatbeds and utility ranges.
Wilfred Scruton pairs with Richard Western
Angus Western (second left) and Ian Scruton (second right) with Wilfred Scruton team members © Scrutons team and Angus Western
Trailer and manure spreader sales out of Wilfred Scruton’s branches at Foxholes near Driffield and Riccall near York are now focused on the Richard Western product range.
Sales and service teams across the Yorkshire dealership’s operations have had an introduction to the products built at Western’s factory near Woodbridge, Suffolk, now that they cover a patch also serviced by Farmstar.
BWE providing Grimme support
Potato growers in the Scottish Borders using Grimme equipment can call upon BWE Engineering at Kelso for service, repairs and parts support as the German manufacturer bolsters its aftersales network.
Tom Bannon, representing Grimme Scotland, said: “We have been looking to make some changes in the area to ensure our customers are receiving the best possible aftersales support, and we believe Callum Banks and his team will play an important role in supporting growers with their specialist machinery.”
Wiltshires partner ATH Machinery for Merlo service
Merlo telehandler dealer Wiltshires, which recently expanded its sales territory to include Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex, has recruited ATH Machinery to support customer service needs in Hampshire.
Tim Lane of the Stockbridge-based supplier of groundcare and construction equipment, utility vehicles and power products said the partnership is timely: “Great to be back into agricultural machinery and really good timing with our new workshops being built.”
Sellars and Russells sign-up Chafer
The newly-established Nexus Chafer business, which earlier this year acquired the product and manufacturing assets for Chafer and Horstine application equipment, has secured Sellars as a new sales, parts and service partner at its seven branches across central and northern Scotland.
Also joining the fray is Russells, with its 12 depots in north-east England stretching from Leyburn, North Yorkshire southwards to Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
Vincents investing in new premises
West Country Kubota and Merlo dealer Vincents is in the throes of building new branch premises at Cullompton in Devon that will bring the teams at Smithaleigh and Wellington together under one roof when it opens in 2027.
Located just off the M5 motorway, the new facility begun in the company’s 60th year will have larger workshops, a modern showroom and improved staff and customer amenities.
TAG ventures into agronomists’ territory
A Czech software business distributing its CultiWise AI-powered drone and satellite-mapping technology across Europe has signed Tallis Amos to offer technical support services more commonly supplied by agronomy advice and supply groups.
The dealership’s specialist, Edward Wardroper, explains that the software uses artificial intelligence to help users make efficient decisions by transforming raw data gathered by drone into actionable insights, helping farmers cut costs, improve crop performance and reduce the environmental impact.
The John Deere dealer, operating across Wales, the West Midlands, Bristol and the Cotswolds, provides full setup, training and ongoing technical support for CultiWise, which generates prescription maps for variable rate applications and has both “green on brown” and “green on green” weed identification and plant count capabilities.
Emyr Evans a cut above for GreenTec
GreenTec, the Danish vegetation management equipment maker that acquired the UK-based Razorback business last year, has added Emyr Evans to its roster.
The MF, Fendt and JCB dealership operates branches at Gaerwen on Anglesey and Denbigh in north Wales and will handle the full range of professional vegetation management tools built by GreenTec, which earlier this year appointed Redlynch to the same role focused on Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.
Fram Farmers switches discount scheme to MF
Fram Farmers discounts now apply to Massey Ferguson tractors © Fram Farmers
A 25-year relationship between Fram Farmers and Case IH has come to an end, with Massey Ferguson now providing special terms on sales made through the farmer co-operative that serves nearly 1,600 farm businesses across 39 counties.
Darren Bantick, head of machinery at Fram Farmers, emphasises that the affiliation scheme discount is applicable to the invoice value of any deal and is included in quotes for new product purchases on top of any special MF finance offers.
Lloyd goes with Scanstone for spud kit
Team Lloyd getting to know Scanstone’s potato products © Lloyd Ltd
Potato equipment manufacturer Scanstone has scored a significant new dealer signing with the appointment of Lloyd, which is now supplying and supporting the complete range across all branches in northern England and southern Scotland.
George Lloyd, managing director, welcomed the appointment, with service and parts staff having already received product training at Scanstone’s Forfar base.
Menai Tractors supports RTK guidance coverage
Good guidance: Tommy Adams of TruLine with Daniel Ault, Menai Tractors area sales manager © Menai Tractors
A partnership between New Holland dealer Menai Tractors at Dinas near Caernarfon and new digital tech business TruLine Technologies is extending high-accuracy RTK guidance services to farmers across north Wales.
TruLine, formed by ex-Rea Valley Tractors precision agriculture specialists Tommy Adams and Matt Meredith, is an approved dealer for Ag Leader guidance, application control, yield monitoring and data management products, alongside Solsteer, Carbon Bee and FJDynamics solutions.
Selected Chandlers branches work with Knight
Several branches of the extensive Chandlers dealer network have been signed to supply and support the full range of sprayers from Knight Farm Machinery and its new affiliate, the Greek manufacturer Agroma.
The exceptions are Chandlers’ Holbeach, Horncastle and Spilsby outlets in Lincolnshire, and all Chandlers RFM JCB branches – although the depot at Cirencester is handling Knight’s KDM demount sprayers for JCB Fastrac tractors throughout a JCB territory that stretches from Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, through Monmouthshire and Herefordshire to west Shropshire.
Anglia Sprayers joins Knight network
Anglia Sprayers, the Ely, Cambs-based specialist reckoned to hold more spares than any other in Europe, has signed up to the Knight Farm Machinery network as a full-line dealer supporting the Rutland-based manufacturer and its new business with Agroma.
“Having worked with Anglia Sprayers for many years, we’re delighted to add their scale and specialist knowledge to the Knight and Agroma retail network,” says Paul Harrison, sales and marketing consultant.
Western Farm Services signs Maschio Gaspardo
Roger Wilding and Ian Mills with Mike Bywater of Maschio Gaspardo UK © Western Farm Services
Knighton, Powys-based Western Farm Services has signed up to supply the Maschio Gaspardo group’s extensive grass and arable products range alongside Case IH, McHale and others.
Ian Mills and Roger Wilding trade throughout mid-Wales, Herefordshire and Shropshire supplying new and used equipment, parts and workshop services.
White Agri goes with Krone…
It’s a deal: Scott White with Jim Holmes, Krone commercial sales manager © White Agri Services
The White Agri Services contracting and machinery sales and support team at Broughton near Biggar are foraging for new customers attracted to the Krone grassland product range the dealership now supports.
Scott and Leigh White are pleased to have their repairs and servicing expertise recognised by the appointment for all of Lanarkshire and surrounding areas, succeeding former Deutz-Fahr dealer Hamilton Tractors at Carnwath, which is closing in the wake of owner David Walkinshaw’s death last year.
…And so does CT Scott
Krone has appointed CT Scott as its north-eastern dealer with immediate effect while parting ways with Alan MacKay at Forfar and Rothienorman, the incumbent dealership, come early January next year.
Craig and Emma Scott’s business, based at Insch, Aberdeenshire with a depot at Muirhead, Dundee, is best known as a crop sprayer specialist with its Bateman, Agrifac and Landquip agencies but in recent years has expanded with Bednar tillage kit, SpreadPoint lime and fertiliser spreaders, and now Krone forage equipment.
Trioliet bucks parts service trend
Dutch farm equipment business Trioliet has bucked a trend towards relying on overseas distribution centres to supply GB dealers by establishing its first UK parts operation.
The livestock ration mixer-feeder maker says the move was triggered by continued growth of the Trioliet business in the UK and the increasing demand for spare parts, which the new Birmingham-based centre will help send to dealers in a timely fashion.
Tyre wholesaler TIA Agri takes on Goodyear
Titan’s Jon Clayton (left) with Stuart Prentice of new Goodyear wholesaler TIA Agri © TIA Agri
Goodyear agricultural tyre manufacturer Titan International aims to increase the availability of its modern Optitrac and LSW tyres, and its “heritage” products for classic and vintage tractors, through a wholesaler agreement with TIA Agri.
This Telford-based business is a division of TIA Group, which operates a large warehouse for tyre sales to dealers throughout the UK, Europe and beyond, with its agricultural specialists providing on-farm advice on axle weights, tyre fitments and appropriate inflation pressures for different applications.
New Yamaha dealer in Cornwall
Southwest Powersports, operating out of new premises at Kings Hill near Bude, has joined the Yamaha all-terrain vehicle dealer network.
In addition to its ATV sports interests, the business is available to supply Yamaha’s utility quads, such as the Kodiak 450 and Grizzly 700 quads, alongside the Wolverine RMax side-by-side range.
Pottinger strategy brings new appointments
Strategic changes to the Pottinger network have seen the appointment of new dealers Ross Agri Services in north-east Scotland and Masons Kings in south-west England, replacing several outlets that have held the franchise for some years.
“This is not a strategy of simply replacing smaller dealerships with larger dealer groups,” says Melanie Gardner, general manager, Pottinger UK. “We believe a healthy dealer network requires a mix that combines the scale and resources of larger organisations with the local relationships, agility and customer focus often provided by independent dealerships.”
In Scotland, Ross Agri Services is carrying Pottinger at all three of its branches – Muir of Ord near Inverness, Turriff in Aberdeenshire, and St Cyrus near Montrose, which includes territory previously covered by AL Agri at Forfar; CC Powell near Banff; Mark Garrick, Elgin and McLaren Tractors, Dingwall.
Masons Kings is now Pottinger’s sole dealership covering south-west England, its appointment coming at the expense of all four Smallridge Brothers outlets in Devon and Cornwall, and Devon dealers CJ Keitch at Dunkeswell, IJ Jones Engineering near Totnes, and Fry & Son at Tedburn St Mary near Exeter.
The deal is effective from the beginning of August and applies to all Masons Kings branches at Exebridge on the Devon/Somerset border south of Dulverton; Chudleigh, between Newton Abbot and Exeter, Devon; and St Columb, east of Newquay, Cornwall.
Melanie added: “We’re looking to build a sustainable, long term business that creates value for customers, dealers, and the brand, our priority being to work with committed partners who can represent the brand effectively, invest in customer support, have a robust succession plan, and deliver long-term growth within their territories.”
Franchise challenges for AL Agri
Ten years since forming their Forfar, Angus-based dealership, it’s been a tough first half for Andy Mitchell and Liam Wylie at AL Agri, with Pottinger switching its franchise to Ross Agri Services in April and Case IH serving 12 months’ notice while handing the territory to New Holland dealer Agricar.
The duo have been quick to fill the Pottinger void with multiple new franchise agreements coming in quick succession – mid-May brought Malone Farm Machinery on board with its range of mowers, tedders and rakes, and an agreement with Overum Agro to supply Agrolux-branded ploughs.
Vaderstad has appointed the dealership to cover Angus and south Aberdeenshire – from Stonehaven to Coupar Angus – and Sky Agriculture has also filled the tillage hole with power harrows and seed drills, while adding a proven line of fertiliser spreaders for the first time.
Mark Whalley, Sky team leader said: “AL Agri’s dedication to customer service and their great reputation makes them the ideal partner for making a significant expansion of our footprint in Scotland.”
And Strautmann, which is establishing its own dealer network having parted ways with importer Opico, has added forage wagons and (for the first time) diet feeders to the AL Agri portfolio for south Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perthshire.
Aodes dealer network hits 40
Boss sales manager Neil Everett (right) with the Baggleys Machinery team © Baggleys Machinery team
The addition of Baggleys Machinery in Norwich represents a notable landmark for Phil and Neil Everitt at Boss ORV as it takes the number of outlets appointed to the Aodes all-terrain vehicle network to 40 dealers.
“We now have genuine national coverage for this premium range of UTVs and ATVs,” said Phil Everitt, in what is a very competitive market for quads and side-by-side vehicles with an ever-expanding number of manufacturers involved.
Other recent appointments contributing to the landmark figure include Ark ATVs, a utility, sports and leisure all-terrain vehicle specialist at Minehead, Somerset that also handles Suzuki, Kymco, Corvus.
And TH White Agriculture, which will initially operate the franchise from its Knighton, Powys branch on the England/Wales border but with plans to extend to other depots.
Alex Ross, TH White area sales manager, said: “This is a “first” for us as we haven’t sold ATVs and UTVs before; Aodes offers the ideal products for the area and for our agricultural and groundscare customers.”
Sky Agriculture network grows
A clutch of dealers has signed up to the Sky Agriculture franchise this year as the French concern – previously trading as Sulky-Burel – builds its UK distribution base.
Team leader Mark Whalley says the new appointments cover areas where Sulky equipment sales have traditionally been strong, as well as some where the products are less well established.
In East Anglia, BW Mack at Downham Market now has the franchise for Norfolk, while further south, MJN Tractors at Selsey near Chichester, West Sussex, has a substantial Sky patch encompassing East Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in addition to its home county.
The New Holland dealer is also supporting the tillage, drilling, precision planting and fertiliser spreading product range in Kent and Surrey with the help of a sub-dealer.
In Scotland, Sky Agriculture is one of several new franchises taken on by AL Agri at Forfar, Angus – as noted earlier.
