Brandt runs the biggest chain of John Deere dealerships worldwide with over A$500 million in annual sales signals intention to take over Westernport Tractors & Implements
Brandt is a relative recent arrival on our local scene, only bobbing up here when it took full control of the Canadian equipment supplier Cervus Equipment in 2021 in a take-over that created Canada’s largest-ever equipment dealer network, adding a further 64 equipment locations to Brandt’s existing John Deere Construction & Forestry dealerships across Canada.
The deal also came to local notice as it included ten dealerships Cervus already held across Victoria and placed Brandt as the largest John Deere dealership in the world with 120 full-service equipment dealerships. See the detailed news story at the time on this link.
Local Brandt managers took advantage of the rare occasion of cash was being thrown into the air by the Canadian HQ and went on further shopping sprees to acquire more John Deere dealerships and crossed the border into South Australia for the first time to snare four Wickham Flower yards.
The ink was barely dry on the contract when the Brandt Tractor insignia appeared on the further four locations at Bordertown, Keith, Mt Gambier and Naracoorte, taking the Brandt Tractor operations in VIC and SA up to 14 John Deere dealerships. See news story at the time on this link.
Now the very aggressive John Deere franchise holder is champing at the bit to get its hands on a major slice of Australia-wide yards, but at the moment Brandt has to be content with cleaning up its own backyard within the state of Victoria.
The Brandt Group of Companies has announced they have reached agreement to acquire the assets of Westernport Tractors & Implements Pty Ltd.
And while Westernport Tractors & Implements is a familiar entity on the Mornington Peninsula, a 95km drive south of Melbourne VIC where it is more common for visitors to flock into the area to seek out a boutique winery or be pampered with a rub-down following a stint in a hot spa, this is where Brandt has expanded its tally to 15 John Deere dealership yards in Australia.
Westernport Tractors & Implements was up until now more than comfortable serving the local community with a range of John Deere small farm and garden tractors, utility vehicles and recreational equipment such as lawn mowers.
The current owners of Westernport Tractors & Implements have been toiling away for over 31 years, so when a knock on the door came to sell, it all turned out to be an early Christmas present from Brandt.
And while to the great unwashed this may appear to be a minor affair it is the road that we will see Brandt tread many times in the future in our local market.
The Brandt Group of Companies is headquartered in Canada at Regina in Saskatchewan and has 5400-plus employees and operates out of more than 170 locations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA.
This Canadian owned company in fact already claims to be the largest John Deere franchise holder worldwide with more than 120 yards dedicated to the Green and Yellow badge.
The fact that Brandt has now accomplished the consolidation of John Deere yards in Southern Victoria under its own brand, is something the company would like to achieve in many other state markets.
Brandt CEO Shaun Semple had this to say about the acquisition, “The fit between our two organisations is a natural one and we look forward to welcoming Ross and his team to the Brandt family.”
As for Westernport Tractors & Implements, it is expected it will continue with business as usual, operating with the same team that customers have come to know and trust over the past 30-plus years.
But it also means they are now part of a multi-franchise dealer group with access to knowledge and expertise of 15 locations across Victoria and South Australia.
Customers will also benefit from Brandt’s extensive parts and equipment inventory from premium brands such as John Deere, Stihl, and Polaris. The agreement is subject to due diligence and customary closing conditions and is expected to close on 1 December 2022.
Brandt Tractor now controls the ten former Cervus dealerships across Victoria, located in Hamilton, Colac, Sunshine, Ballarat, Leongatha, Terang, Maffra, Lilydale, Knoxfield and Pakenham.
With the addition of the former Wickham Flower yards at Bordertown, Keith, Mt Gambier and Naracoorte South Australia and with Westernport Tractors & Implements it takes the Brandt tally to 15 yards in Australia, all specialists in John Deere model lines.
To learn more about the people behind Brandt, take a look at this 19-minute documentary “A Semple Story for Success” as it details how patriarch Gavin Semple went from being a humble salesman to running the largest John Deere dealership cworldwide, with his son Shaun as a driving force.
