This takeover now positions the Brandt Group of Companies as New Zealand’s most comprehensive John Deere equipment dealer network
With Brandt’s expansion plans for mainland Australia held up with some old-time dealer principals digging in for more cash, the company has decided to mop up New Zealand while it sits and waits for circumstances to change locally.
The Brandt Group of Companies reached an agreement to acquire the assets of Agrowquip NZ Ltd, a well-established John Deere dealer that ran seven yards across the North Island. With four yards purely agriculture and three others that also combined John Deere models for the construction and forestry sector.
The acquisition of the strong local presence of Agrowquip with Brandt’s existing locations across the North Island now creates a network of John Deere dealer locations that runs from Cape Reinga to Wellington in NZ.
The Brandt name will now be seen on 13 agriculture yards and four construction and forestry sector yards across the North Island, 17 New Zealand locations at present. Adding to the 15 Yards in Australia.
One major feature of this deal is that it keeps the Brandt juggernaut rolling across the southern hemisphere where Brandt is eventually expected to control more John Deere dealer yards than any other entity across both AU and NZ in due course.
And while some farmers are aware of the extensive range of Brandt Industries cultivators and grain handling equipment the company was far from a well-known name here, until it leaped to prominence with the take-over of Cervus equipment’s parent company in Canada.
Following that acquisition in October 2021, local farmers have had a quick introduction to Brandt’s John Deere dealership operation. See the Cervus equipment takeover story here.
Once introduced to the Brandt name, local farmers witnessed the reach of this company when it went onto add another yard very quickly and signal its intentions to acquire many more. See our story on Brandt’s latest acquisition locally on this link.
When US backed firm RDO Equipment made a foray into buying up John Deere dealerships in November 2019, many sitting old-time dealer principals though this would be the best deal they would get and signed on the dotted line. See our story on RDO Equipment acquisitions on this link.
However, the entry of Brandt would now make it seem as though they sold too cheaply as the Brandt signage appears destined to appear on more local yards than previously imagined.
The company now owns and operates 130 John Deere dealerships worldwide, claimed as the biggest franchise, and this includes 32 John Deere yards in Australia and New Zealand as well as 56 John Deere Construction and Forestry dealerships across Canada.
Brandt was already an established John Deere agricultural equipment dealer in New Zealand, and the addition of John Deere construction and forestry models is also familiar ground for the company.
For NZ farmers this deal will provide the industry’s broadest support infrastructure for customers throughout the North Island, delivering the products, parts and service they need, wherever they are operating.
“Bringing Brandt and Agrowquip’s locations together on the North Island under one banner allows us to make a more significant investment in the facilities, tools, and people to meet the growing needs of our customers, now and in the future,” says Brandt CEO, Shaun Semple. “As a family owned and operated business, we like to put down deep roots, investing for the long term, and that is our plan here in New Zealand.”
In addition to delivering a full suite of John Deere products, Brandt is committed to providing the best over-the-counter parts availability in the industry, to be supported by an in-country central parts warehouse.
The agreement is subject to due diligence and customary closing conditions and is expected to close on 30 January 2023, when the signwriters will step in.
The story behind the father and now son team of Gavin and Shaun Semple started out from humble beginnings with a single location 30 years ago. Since then, Brandt has grown to become John Deere’s leading Construction and Forestry equipment dealer worldwide.
The company intends that their extensive experience in the agriculture, construction, and forestry sectors will enable them to deliver the quality products and industry-best support services that booth AU and NZ equipment owners need to be completely successfully.
