John Deere reducing dealerships

[BDBed]

Having dealt with Sharmans for years I fail to see how anyone could do a better job with the JD dealership than them personally. Good luck to whoever takes JD on and even better luck to the guys at Sharmans for whatever the future holds for them. And if anyone from Sharmans is on here, if you could start selling Deutz I’d appreciate it and you can have my order for a new tractor once every 5 years as a thank you?

funny had the same conversation with a few people today regarding Sharmans and Deutz ?

 

[Farma Parma]

Having dealt with Sharmans for years I fail to see how anyone could do a better job with the JD dealership than them personally. Good luck to whoever takes JD on and even better luck to the guys at Sharmans for whatever the future holds for them. And if anyone from Sharmans is on here, if you could start selling Deutz I’d appreciate it and you can have my order for a new tractor once every 5 years as a thank you?

If Deutz had more dealer presence some 28yrs ago we might have never switched back to massey & been red ever since.
Still like the Deutz's but nearest Dealer some 65miles away is no use at all.

 

[kiwi pom]

Try doin that in ni where there is hardly any new 1s sold

I'm sure its area dependant and is more of a turnover thing.

Some1 said on here that they dont care if they loose a few customers. Well what attitude is that for any business to take. Do they not realise it was the customers that put there business where it is and pays all thier bills. Dont know about any1 else but as a payin customer i like to feel valued and also like dealin way businesses that you can go speak to the owner if theres a problem and hell greet ye with a smile and try to help ye instead o talkin to sum promoted a..hole thats runnin about thinkin thier king o the castle and your just trash gettin in thier way. Wouldnt be first place i stoped goin cause o this and if dealers loose thier personal touch customers wont stick around

Having lots of customers isn't important if you're not making money out of them though. Perhaps the UK dealer network is costing the mothership too much and they want to streamline things.
The last time I read anything about Deere they seemed to have quite long lead times for equipment and were at capacity (?)
Losing UK sales might be ok if that machine is still sold, but in another part of the world with higher profit margins.
I'm told tractors are more expensive here than the UK, would all of that difference go to the dealer or is the manufacturer making more out of Kiwis?

 

[kiwi pom]

You are beginning to come across as a whinging Pom ....... not a kiwi pom ............................ just saying. No offence meant !

Sorry I try and be like a Kiwi, sometimes the Englishman creeps back though

 

[Martin Holden]

We’re Sharmans not Ford dealers before they went green?

I’m guessing CNH will be having a chat with them to go red or blue.

They were indeed Ford many moons ago. Elbar was one of their companies they bought. Maybe full circle who knows? Whatever? others will be collateral damage so the process is bloody probably.

 

[Mr Charisma]

A fair few years ago when we had a good MF dealer in the area , we ran a MF 40 RS and 3 fergy tractors , AGCO closed our local dealership and we were told to deal with another dealership which gave us utter shite service so we moved to another dealer who were very good , some twit in AGCO promptly closed them down , so we got rid of the red stuff and have been JD combine and Case tractors since with very good service on the tractors and mediocre service on the combine , if JD are going to push through this mega dealer crap then at the first opportunity the combine will be off down the road . The one thing we have learnt that being only in a small way that we don't get service with these mega dealers ,

 

[marshallfarm]

I guessing NH will be sold by sharmans next. Chandlers agco nearby and collings at brigstock doing case IH

 

[Farma Parma]

A fair few years ago when we had a good MF dealer in the area , we ran a MF 40 RS and 3 fergy tractors , AGCO closed our local dealership and we were told to deal with another dealership which gave us utter shite service so we moved to another dealer who were very good , some twit in AGCO promptly closed them down , so we got rid of the red stuff and have been JD combine and Case tractors since with very good service on the tractors and mediocre service on the combine , if JD are going to push through this mega dealer crap then at the first opportunity the combine will be off down the road . The one thing we have learnt that being only in a small way that we don't get service with these mega dealers ,

The personal touch vanishes thats what happens

 

[Barleycorn]

Deere originally wanted to build the factory that is now at Mannheim in Scotland after the war, however the British government wouldn’t let them due to a steel shortage so they wheat to Germany

I think JD bought out the Lanz factory at Mannheim, I remember seeing early European JDs badged as Lanzs. Don't know if it was a Lanz or JD design though.

 

[johnboy87]

Both local JD dealers do a Stirling job. Mason kings I understand sell more gators than any other JD dealership in the UK.

The Smallridges Brothers have been JD dealers for 30 years , but as we know brand loyalty means nothing nowadays.

Probably not as local to you, but not forgetting CFM have now finally opened their shiny new depot as well

 

[johnboy87]

Can't see all 3 staying long term, one has just had a major investment but that will mean nothing to Deere, can see one of them going and I doubt it will smallridge.

Could be wrong, but I was under the impression that Deere had put some of the money in themselves for the new CFM depot

 

[puntabrava]

When JD carried out dealer reductions x amount of years ago it seemed a harsh exercise but as the years have passed they look to of been spot on with their dealer management. If things had been left alone there would be many branches struggling financially given the small area allocated. Would be a silly person to call them fools for feeling they need to revisit their business set up.

 

[Bullring]

Could be wrong, but I was under the impression that Deere had put some of the money in themselves for the new CFM depot

Wouldn't surprise me if they did as it's a fair investment for a dealer to make given the state of farming at the minute, perhaps deere know something about super dealerships that we don't and that's the start of it.

 

[Andrew]

Could be wrong, but I was under the impression that Deere had put some of the money in themselves for the new CFM depot

I bet they did. It gives them even more control over the dealer. The depot won’t close but could well be merged into another.

 

[Roger Perry]

John Deere are asking for some workers to take a redundancy package at several plants...........not huge numbers but tough trading in some overseas markets was cited.
If they are closing and consolidating dealerships in the UK its' nothing new, we have been going down that road for years.
As ag units become fewer and larger over the next decade it makes sense from a machinery suppliers perspective to have less outlets'..........too many dogs fighting over the same bone springs to mind.
As an aside here in Colorado we only have 1 Caterpillar dealer, Wagner, they take in all of Colorado, New Mexico and parts of West Texas.......they have main outlets plus sub dealerships plus loads of mobile repair trucks that drive out to farms to carry out repairs..........seems to work.

 

[Martin Holden]

A fair few years ago when we had a good MF dealer in the area , we ran a MF 40 RS and 3 fergy tractors , AGCO closed our local dealership and we were told to deal with another dealership which gave us utter shite service so we moved to another dealer who were very good , some twit in AGCO promptly closed them down , so we got rid of the red stuff and have been JD combine and Case tractors since with very good service on the tractors and mediocre service on the combine , if JD are going to push through this mega dealer crap then at the first opportunity the combine will be off down the road . The one thing we have learnt that being only in a small way that we don't get service with these mega dealers ,

Well you did all that you could. You voted on your feet and moved on. I’m sure others have and will continue to do the same going forward. There is a choice out there after all

 

[tweedale terrier]

Johnston tractors of Carlisle jumped before they were pushed away by Deere, and now sell Valtra.

An awful lot of Valtras, that used to be Deere sales......

Johnson tractors lost Deere first then D.W Toppin was robbed of Valtra. I’m told they are not shifting many in Dumfriesshire which was also the problem with Deere. Not sure about Carlisle. It’s early days and a new product to all of the business though.

 

[Phil P]

I think JD bought out the Lanz factory at Mannheim, I remember seeing early European JDs badged as Lanzs. Don't know if it was a Lanz or JD design though.

That’s right JD bought out Heinrich Lanz (the Lanz Bulldog) that’s how they ended up in Mannheim, but before that after the war ended in 1945 they where looking to build a factory to supply into what is now Europe. They had their sights on a location in Scotland but the government wouldn’t let them build it. To be honest they probably did the right thing going to Germany as look whats left of this country’s manufacturing industry!

 

[Half Pipe]

JD had planned to build a factory in the then new town East Kilbride, it did get a Rolls Royce engine factory that's now gone and replaced with a new housing estate.

 

[Nearly]

JCB is also a premium brand I’m sure that Sharmans will continue to have a successful business. I would imagine a few behind the scenes talks with other manufacturers have already started.

Could a major dealer in arable area just sell jcb machines? What range would it need for lower hp, or just not bother?