03/01/07
Lancashire tractor dealer John Charnley & Sons has renewed
its association with British-built farm tractors by taking on the
retail franchise in Lancashire for McCormick, which assembles its
70hp to 280hp machines in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
Will (left) and David Charnley (right) with Barry Ward, McCormick
area manager for the north-west.
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The family-run business, based at Brindle near Chorley, Lancs,
is the legacy of a well-known figure in the farm tractor industry,
John Charnley, who died aged 73 a few days after the agreement
to represent McCormick had been signed.
“He was very pleased and excited at the business having
a new tractor franchise once more,” says eldest son Will
Charnley. “It’s a great shame he won’t see the
results of our new relationship with McCormick.”
John Charnley began his career in agricultural engineering in
the 1950s when, as a teenager, he began mending machinery for local
farmers in a small shed on the family farm.
His enterprising nature and mechanical skills led to a business
that developed into a fully-fledged farm equipment retailing and
service operation. It traded in British-built Nuffield tractors
before being awarded Leyland and then Marshall tractor franchises.
From the late-1990s, the company assembled its own JWD tractors
based on Marshall components.
“Over the past 20 years or so, the business has focused
on supplying parts and good used examples of these popular tractors,” says
Will Charnley, who runs the business with his brother David. “But
when the opportunity to take on McCormick came along, we jumped
at the chance.”
Stewart Barnett, McCormick’s UK sales manager, is delighted
that John Charnley & Sons has joined the company’s nationwide
dealer network.
“Charnleys represent us throughout most of Lancashire, from
Garstang in the north to St Helens and Manchester in the south
and from the coast eastwards as far as Keighley and Oldham,” he
explains. “We know the company has a very good following
for its parts service for older British tractors and believe it
will quickly earn a similar reputation for its McCormick sales
and service.”
Will and David Charnley, as well as other family members and employees,
agree that the involvement with McCormick begins a new chapter
for the business.
“We have a good size territory and the mixture of livestock,
vegetable and arable farming in this area suits the different models
in the 50hp to 280hp McCormick range,” says Will Charnley. “We’re
building a new workshop to improve our service and repair facilities
and will extend our parts storage area to take in an extensive
stock of McCormick parts.”
New staff members hired because of the new business opportunity
include Mick Yates, a McCormick-trained technician, who will work
with David Charnley in providing on-farm and workshop service,
and Kyle Hambleton who joins parts manager Mick Miller in the parts
department.
News of Charnleys appointment has been well received locally – so
much so that the company took its first order, for a £37,500
McCormick CX105 tractor, within a week of the franchise contract
being signed.
Orders for another nine tractors quickly followed, all Diamond
Edition tractors produced in limited numbers to celebrate
60 years of agricultural equipment production at McCormick’s
Doncaster factory.
Gerard Singleton of Singleton Landwork Ltd based at Withnell near
Chorley has the distinction of buying the first McCormick from
the company’s newest dealer. The 102hp CX105 Diamond
Edition will be used for a range of services from fencing
and drainage to excavation, pipeline installations and reinstatement
work.
“In terms of sales, we couldn’t be off to a better start,” says
Will Charnley. “It’s a fitting tribute to my father that
our new partnership with McCormick will build on the reputation he
worked so hard to establish with other famous British makes over
years.”
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