WHICH STORIES CAUGHT DEALER ATTENTION IN '22?

The Service Dealer Weekly Update was delivered to the industry each Friday at noon on the dot (or thereabouts!) throughout 2022, charting the ups and downs of another fascinating year for our sector.

As we like to do in the first edition back after the Christmas and New Year break, today we look back at which stories grabbed you, our loyal dealer readers attention, across those turbulent twelve months. As you will see, the articles that gained the most click-throughs were surprising, concerning, dramatic and contained a sprinkling of controversy. 

Without further ado, in ascending order, here's what you read the most in 2022:

 
10.
DEALER 'TAKES CHARGE OF OWN DESTINY' - 1st July 2022

Rea Valley Tractors, the West-Midlands and mid-Wales farm machinery business, announced they would become a New Holland dealer from 1st November 2022 - meaning they would separate from their long-established main franchise, John Deere.

9.
DEALER DROPS DOMESTIC TO CONCENTRATE ON PRO MACHINERY - 7th January 2022

Dealers Fentons of Bourne said they were dropping domestic machinery to concentrate on professional equipment and as part of this change they had been appointed by Etesia to offer their full range of products.

8.
ANOTHER BREAK-IN FORCES DEALER TO QUESTION FUTURE - 4th February 2022

Southern Mower Services, a family-run garden machinery dealership trading in Horndean, Hampshire, suffered another break-in losing £30,000 of Echo & Tanaka machinery.

7.
T H WHITE PURCHASE SITE - 25th February 2022

Dealers T H White announced they had completed the purchase of the former J G Plant site in Tillington Road, north-west Hereford.

6.
BRIGGS & STRATTON EXITING PRODUCT MARKETS IN U.S - 14th January 2022

Reports in U.S media suggested Briggs & Stratton would be closing a facility as they exited the North American portable generator and snow thrower markets.

5.
NH CONFIRM DEALERSHIP BRANCH CLOSURE - 12 August 2022

New Holland issued a statement that, further to an announcement made earlier in the year regarding changes to their dealer network in Scotland, confirmed to customers in the Lothian area that Lothian Tractors Ltd had closed their depot at Tranent and had left their network.

4.
FIRST OF ITS KIND DEALERSHIP OPENS - 11th February 2022

In a UK dealership first, Reco JCB opened in Gurney Slade near Radstock, Somerset as the first UK dealer exclusively supplying and supporting the complete range of JCB agricultural equipment.

3.
DEALERS SUFFER MULTIPLE THEFTS AT SHOW - 1st August 2022

Four ATVs belonging to dealers worth around £50,000 (two from MKM Agri, one from Thurlow Nunn Standen and one from N Richardson Ltd) were stolen during the early hours from the Royal Norfolk Show.

2.
TUCKWELLS RELATIONSHIP WITH MAJOR SUPPLIER TO END - 28th January 2022

JCB Agriculture and Tuckwells announced that their dealer agreement for Suffolk and Essex would not be renewed when it expired at the end of the year.

1.
REPORTS THAT PLAYER IS TO EXIT MOWER MARKET - 28th October 2022

A report in the U.S trade magazine Rural Lifestyle Dealer said that according to an announcement posted to the Honda dealer Interactive Network, "Honda will end its lawnmower production by September 2023 and left over inventory will be offered in 2024 until it is sold out."