McCormick's new dealer in Lancashire
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.

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.

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