Chandlers Farm Equipment has relinquished its Kubota franchise and purchased Lister Wilder’s Agco agricultural business, doubling the size of its operation by expanding into Oxfordshire and the south-central region.

The deal comes off the back of Agco’s “brand exclusivity” strategy, which insists dealers stock only its tractors – something neither were doing due to long-standing arrangements with Kubota.

It means Chandlers has supplemented its seven depots in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands with five of Lister Wilder’s depots – Southam (Warwickshire), Wallingford (Oxfordshire), Devizes (Wiltshire), Cirencester (Gloucestershire), and Bristol – to sell only Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Valtra tractors.

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The changes will officially kick in from 4 January next year, at which point Chandlers will become Agco’s biggest UK dealership.

© Lister Wilder

Meanwhile, Lister Wilder will now focus on Kubota equipment and continue to operate from the three sites not taken on by Chandlers – Ashford (Kent), Guildford (Surrey), and Reading (Berkshire) – and cohabit Southam, Cirencester and Bristol until new dedicated facilities are established.

The deal ends Lister Wilder’s long-running association with Massey Ferguson, and latterly Fendt and Valtra. But with Kubota’s groundscare and construction kit contributing significantly to its £100m turnover, and Chandlers keen to expand its Agco operation, the agreement apparently made sense for both parties.