Some spectacular increases in turnover were a notable achievement among machinery dealerships in 2022, despite many reporting a shortage of product to meet orders as manufacturers struggled with post-pandemic supply chain disruption.

The first full-year impact of Haynes’ acquisition of neighbouring New Holland dealer Oakes Bros, which operated three branches in West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire, resulted in a 61% increase in turnover for the agricultural division. 

See also: Tractors: Where are they made?

At £47.3m, agriculture now constitutes the largest business unit in the group, representing 45% of its £104.8m turnover, alongside the Ford cars and vans, and Iveco trucks operations.

RW Crawford was propelled into the top 30 in 2022 with a £14m (40%) increase in turnover to £50.5m, as its expansion into Hampshire with Agco gained traction.

Following the year’s acquisition of Kent and Surrey dealership Agwood, a £3.2m five-month contribution takes the “Crawford Group” figure to £53.7m and Agwood’s full-year £11.7m turnover bodes well for Crawford’s further growth.

Wales-based John Deere dealer JE Lawrence & Son scored a £14m (45%) turnover increase to top more than £45m in 2022, while several businesses recorded sales revenue gains around the 34% mark, including Case IH dealer Farmstar taking turnover to £42.6m and Mona Tractor Company to £16.8m.

A similar performance was achieved by Peacock & Binnington of £88.3m, helped by a full-year contribution from Franks Curtis, acquired in October 2021.

A fully-operational new branch at Oakham helped Ben Burgess achieve a £30m turnover increase (26%), with more growth to follow as a result of the late 2022 acquisition of fellow Deere dealer John W Doubleday.

Gains of 25% and more were achieved by: Tallis Amos Group (now knocking on the door of the top 15 group with 2022 turnover of £71.1m), Smallridge Bros (£40.9m), Netherton Tractors (£47.7m) and Masons Kings (£48m), the latter moving up into the second 15 group.

However, all were outranked in terms of turnover increase by C&O Tractors, which does not feature in the top 45 but nonetheless achieved a nearly 93% rise from £13.8m in 2021, to £26.6m in 2022.

This came about as the business continued to recover from the inevitable dip over previous years that followed a 2017 decision to switch from New Holland to Massey Ferguson.

In addition to the initial larger territory across south-central England, C&O also benefitted from a full-year’s trading in Somerset, having taken on the former Medland Sanders & Twose (MST) territory and premises at South Petherton.

Farol recorded the biggest increase in monetary terms, turnover accelerating by more than £35m to £181m to take the number two spot in the ranks behind Scot JCB, which breached the £200m threshold.

A 21% surge in construction equipment sales was the major contributor, although agricultural machinery sales were also up more than 8% to £76.4m, representing 37% of the group total of £204.8m.

Ben Burgess (£30m, 26.7%) and Ripon Farm Services (£28.6m, 21.6%) also increased turnover substantially, as did Chandlers (£24.5m, 19%) – and with more to come once the early 2023 acquisition of Ross Farm Machinery and its circa £36m turnover are factored in.

Peacock & Binnington performed well (up £22.7m, 34.6%) to retain its position at the top of the second 15 table, while a 24% turnover increase for the related HRN Tractors and Agritrac businesses came mainly from big gains in export sales.

Finally, 20% turnover increases helped bring Wilfred Scruton and Ravenhill into the top 45 for the first time.

Agricar took on New Holland’s Fife territory with a new depot in Cupar © Agricar

Up and coming

Previous editions of Britain’s biggest machinery dealers have profiled the top 30 companies with the biggest turnover. Here we take a look at another batch of companies building more substantial businesses.

RW Crawford (£53.7m)

Agco has supported Crawford’s recent growth with Fendt and Valtra into Sussex in 2019, and Hampshire in 2021 from its Essex and east Bedfordshire heartland, where it also handles Massey Ferguson.

Buying Agwood part way through 2022 brought another two MF branches into the fold, with plans to develop new locations to cover Agwood’s Kent, Surrey and Sussex area.

Masons Kings (£48m)

Now with 40 years as a John Deere dealer under its belt, initially with an agricultural focus before adding professional groundcare equipment, the Masons Kings name was adopted after the 2009 acquisition of Kings Farm Machinery by James Mason in Devon.

It has been a three-branch operation since 2011, when the firm’s territory was extended into Cornwall after Cornwall Farmers withdrew from the machinery market.

Netherton Tractors (£47.7m)

From just two premises at Forfar and Glenrothes, the business became a five-branch operation covering north-east Scotland after Deere allocated more agricultural and homeowner territory in Perth & Kinross, Aberdeenshire and Highland, including areas previously covered by HRN Tractors.

JE Lawrence (£45.3m)

A former road vehicle garage and showroom on the A40 near Haverfordwest in south Wales is the more accessible and visible future home of JE Lawrence, representing an investment of around £2m in its New Holland, JCB and varied implement operation, which is run alongside a 10-tanker fuel supply business.

Farmstar (£42.6m)

This Case IH and Kubota groundcare dealer operates in Yorkshire from headquarters at Marr near Doncaster and further north in Market Weighton, with the purpose-built Newark Case IH depot also serving Kubota customers in Lincolnshire and south Nottinghamshire.

In 2019, Farmstar’s Brigg depot won more Case IH territory in Lincolnshire.

Smallridge Brothers (£40.9m)

A John Deere agricultural dealer in Devon since 1990, the four-branch company later added east Cornwall to its territory in 2011, then mid- and west Cornwall in 2020, when Cornwall Farmers quit the machinery market.

In the meantime, it acquired the Devon territory previously handled by Robert Cole Agricultural Engineers and its premises in 2014.

Morris Corfield (£40.7m)

With four branches covering Cheshire, Shropshire and Herefordshire – the Hereford location a purpose-built premises opened in 2018 – Morris Corfield is one of the longest-established Claas dealerships, having supplied its first machine in the 1960s.

Sellars Agriculture (£40.1m)

Having made several territory gains over the years, Claas dealer Sellars now covers an extensive area of Scotland that stretches from the far north all the way south beyond the Firth of Forth, served by seven branches in all.

JG Paxton & Sons (£37.1m)

Completing the acquisition of J Wood & Son midway through 2022 made a six-month contribution to Paxton’s turnover, added territory for its Case IH and JCB franchises, and brought a fifth branch – at Kirkbymoorside – to a network extending from Durham/Tyne & Wear, southwards through Northumberland to north Lancashire and North Yorkshire.

Redlynch (£37m)

This Fendt and Valtra dealership has grown to operate three branches in Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset, and in 2021 was awarded the JCB franchise in these counties alongside Compass Tractors.

This led to a standalone business – Reco JCB – for the venture providing sales and service support from five locations.

Ross Farm Machinery (£36.3m)

For RFM, 2022 marked the culmination of progressive expansion as an independent Massey Ferguson and JCB dealership, moving into Shropshire in 2021 to create a four-branch operation also covering south-east Wales, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

In February 2023, the business was acquired by Chandlers, and added a JCB branch in Cirencester covering the Cotswolds region.

Wilfred Scruton (£36m)

With branches at Foxholes and Riccall in South Yorkshire, Scrutons serves farmers from Harrogate down to Doncaster, and across to Leeds as an Agco dealer supplying Fendt and Valtra products. JCB is also among the portfolio of brands.

Ravenhill (£35.9m)

This New Holland dealership established in the mid 1980s arose from a management buyout of three existing branches in Aberdeenshire, and then expanded across north-east Scotland to five branches from Dingwall, near Inverness, to Dyce, near Aberdeen.

Agricar (£33.9m)

New Holland’s restructure of dealer areas in parts of Scotland mean that Agricar is no longer trading in Ayrshire, but has taken on responsibility for the Fife area, with a new depot opening in Cupar.

This was followed in 2023 with new purpose-built premises on the outskirts of Forfar, giving the company a platform for future growth.

Oliver Landpower’s new depot near Colchester, Essex © Oliver Group