The shake-up in the UK tractor and farm machinery dealer network continues with the news that Collings Brothers agreement with Case IH will end on March 11, 2021.
The statement announced via the dealer’s Facebook page at the weekend reads ‘the decision has been made by Case IH to restructure its dealer network, following the repercussions made by John Deere in 2019 and in doing so has appointed a new dealer to cover the area presently covered by Collings Brothers.’
Operating from its two depots at Abbotsley in Cambridgeshire and Brigstock in Northamptonshire, the Collings Brothers team, which has held the Case IH franchise for 29 years, is devastated and disappointed by this decision.
“Case IH has assured us that the area and our customers will be supported going forward, which is very important to us,” said sales and after sales manager, Jason Weston of the Abbotsley depot. “Service is the key to a good business. We recently recruited two additional technicians and will continue to look after and support our customers.”
There has been a high level of support to the Collings Brothers Facebook post, which Mr Weston describes as ‘reassuring’. “Our customers tell us that they do not want large super dealers but local and loyal ones,” he said.
The company is taking a step back to look at the options. “We still hold a lot of key franchises (includes Claydon, Kuhn, Bomford Turner, Richard Western, MacDon, Weaving Machinery) and hope to have a new tractor brand in place for March next year,” added Mr Weston.
Nothing has been officially announced, but this could mean Sharmans will be taking on the Case IH franchise once it wraps up with John Deere in October and if this is the case could we see another long-standing Case IH dealer given notice?
