Hot Seat: Building a £117m business in Ripon over 40 years

In 1982, Geoff Brown and four colleagues started a modest agricultural machinery business called Ripon Farm Services.

The firm, which took on John Deere and Land Rover franchises, began with 19 members of staff and budgeted to generate £1.1 million in its first year.

Now, as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary, it has 270 staff, 12 depots and recorded turnover of £117.2 million for the financial year ending January 31, 2021 — significantly up on the £106.4 million figure for the previous year.

Ripon Farm Services, which is based on Dallamires Lane in Ripon, has become one of the Harrogate district’s biggest and best known employers. It supplies a wide range of new and used equipment from franchises including John Deere, Kuhn, Bailey, Kramer and Stihl.

Mr Brown (left) and a colleague alongside a John Deere tractor.

Mr Brown, who was brought up on a farm and has lived in Burnt Yates all his life, has been at the helm throughout the company’s existence.

Now 76, he remains a director and is keen to drive the business forward for “a while yet”. He adds:

“While I’m OK I will carry on.”

Brexit and Prince Charles

The last 12 months have been hectic, dealing not only with covid but also the impact of Brexit, which has had major repercussions for agriculture.

He also met Prince Charles — not for the first time — at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show, where Ripon Farm Services always has a big presence.

The two men chatted amiably for some time. Mr Brown says:

“Somebody asked how did I make him laugh. I said I just talked to him. He knows a lot about farming and machinery. I met him previously at the Pateley show. He’s a very down to earth fella.”

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Mr Brown admits the company benefited from the backwind that British agriculture enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s but thriving over four decades is testimony to far more than luck. He says:

“It’s just been steady growth since we started.”

Ripon Farm Services at Great Yorkshire Show

Ripon Farm Services at the Great Yorkshire Show

61-year career

Mr Brown’s working life spans a remarkable 61 years. He started in 1961 at Glovers of Ripon, a car and agricultural machinery dealer.

Glovers was taken over by Appleyards in 1965, which lost the Massey Ferguson franchise the following year and consequently took on one of the first John Deere dealerships in the UK.

In 1966 Mr Brown was promoted to John Deere demonstrator at Appleyards.

Geoff Brown at Ripon Farm Services' New Year Show last month.

Geoff Brown at Ripon Farm Services’ New Year Show last month.

When Appleyards sold its agricultural business in 1982 — something Mr Brown heard about when he was setting up the stand at the Great Yorkshire Show — it paved the way for something new.

So by October than year Mr Brown, along with Maurice Hymas, Bill Houseman and two other directors, had set-up Ripon Farm Services.

Selling Land Rover

Regrets? Just a few. The company sold its Land Rover franchise in 2016. Mr Brown says:

“They wanted us to move to Harrogate or Knaresborough and sell Jaguars but I didn’t want to do either of those things and now, ironically, they have relented and dealers don’t have to sell Jaguars.”

Ripon Farm Services continues to be synonymous with the distinctive John Deere green. It’s a truly international set-up: a British firm, selling American machinery all around the world. Mr Brown says:

“We export a lot of tractors and combine harvesters. Our biggest overseas markets are Poland and Spain.”

He acknowledges Brexit has caused some bumps but “it hasn’t stopped us”.

British farmers still face uncertainty about what payments will replace the loss of EU subsidies but Mr Brown remains optimistic about the future for farmers:

“As long as the government looks after them and gets something in place of the grants I can’t see it being a problem. The good ones will still be around.”

Ripon Farm Services to stage New Year Show next week

Ripon Farm Services is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the return of its annual show next week.

The New Year Show will be held over two days at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate on January 19 and 20.

The show, which is one of the key events on the northern agricultural calendar, will feature the largest combine harvester in Europe and the new John Deere 6R tractor.

More than 5,000 people are expected to attend.

The event was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There will be some measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus, including a requirement for proof of full vaccination together with negative lateral flow tests.

Richard Simpson, commercial director of Ripon Farm Services, said the team had thought long and hard about whether to go ahead with the show. He said:

“In the end we believe the farming community needs and deserves our support.

“Farmers can’t cancel lambing time, they can’t cancel milking or cancel harvest, they have to carry on, no matter what.

“The nation relies on them. So it would be unfair of us to let farmers down.

“After last year’s cancellation, which was unavoidable, we are delighted to be back with one of the very finest shows we have ever held.”

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Dan Robinson, who is heading up the preparations for the show, added:

“Apart from those two headline machines, we will be showcasing everything we do, including a huge range of used equipment which will be available to buy.

“This is the very best opportunity to see all the very latest and best farming machinery in one single location.

“The show is housed in the warm and dry Yorkshire Events Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground and there is no better place to see all that we offer.

“Our specialists across all sectors will be available to answer any questions during the two days, and there will be seminars and presentations

“So the event is ultimately a one-stop shop for farmers across the north of England.”

Ripon Farm Services given go-ahead to open twelfth depot

Ripon Farm Services has received planning permission to build a 22,000 sq ft depot at  Eden Business Park near Malton.

It will be the 12th depot owned by Ripon Farm Services, which is one of the largest agricultural equipment dealers in the UK.

The company, which employs more than 250 staff, is a John Deere main dealer that supplies agricultural machinery brands such as, Kramer telehandlers, Kuhn cultivation equipment, Bailey Trailers and Sumo cultivators across Yorkshire, Teesside, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Construction on the new building will begin immediately, with completion scheduled for August next year.

Richard Simpson, commercial director at Ripon Farm Services, said:

“This is a tremendously important move for us and a significant milestone in our 40-year-old history.

“Our new flagship building, will feature offices, training suites and meeting facilities for staff and customers and has been specially designed to accommodate our rapidly growing combine harvester business, including the John Deere X9.

“We are especially pleased to be moving to Malton, which has the enviable – and entirely justified – reputation as the food capital of the north. It is at the centre of North Yorkshire’s extensive agricultural community, which we are looking forward to serving.”

Funding for this new depot was by provided by HSBC.

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Ripon Farm Services increases revenue to £117m

Ripon Farm Services increased revenue and profit in the last financial year despite covid, according to newly published accounts.

The company, which employs 270 staff, grew revenue by 10 per cent from £106.6m to £117.2m.

Gross profit went up by seven percent from £13.1m to £13.9m

The details are contained in the company’s annual report and financial statement for the financial year ending January 31, 2021, which has just been published on the Companies House website.

Ripon Farm Services, which is based on Dallamires Lane in Ripon, sells and services agricultural machinery and accessories as well as provides paint and body shop services. Its major supplier is John Deere.

‘Grateful for furlough’

The report says the company’s paint and body shop services were “significantly impacted” by covid due to the reduction in road traffic.

It adds directors were “grateful” for furlough minimising the impact of coronavirus and protecting jobs.

Director Geoffrey Brown said in the report that sales grew “despite a reduction in the agricultural vehicle market”.

He adds the economic impact of covid on the agricultural sector “has not been as significant as other sectors”.

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The company has also benefited from John Deere having a “strong comprehensive portfolio of products and continues to have the largest market share in the UK and globally”, according to the report.

The directors of Ripon Farm Services are listed in the report as Stewart Hymas, Paul Brown, Geoffrey Brown and Joseph Widdup.