Emmetts, one of Australia's leading family-owned John Deere agriculture equipment dealer groups, has acquired Pringles Crouch, a John Deere dealer group with four branches in the Eyre Peninsula and Mid North regions of South Australia.
The acquisition takes the company to 16 locations across western Victoria and SA and 360 staff.
Emmetts works across a range of areas, from broad-acre cropping, horticulture and viticulture production, hay and livestock production, almond and olive plantations, orchards, hot houses, research departments, councils and grounds care.
The company also services the compact construction equipment and precision irrigation markets in SA and Vic.
The company was established in 1957 at Rupanyup in Vic's Wimmera region by Jack Emmett, a former baling contractor, and his wife Myra.
Today, their son Peter is Emmetts' managing director.
Mr Emmett said the Pringles Crouch acquisition was a "perfect fit".
"We are excited to welcome the respected, long-standing Pringles Crouch business to the Emmett family," he said.
"We recognise the many years that Pringles Crouch have put into the area and look forward to building on their strengths to remain a localised Australian-owned company.
"We believe our customers want to work with those who live in their communities and share common values. With Pringles Crouch, we've found an organisation that is completely aligned with these core beliefs.
"By combining the expertise of both companies, we've increased our resources for bringing innovation that will improve our customers' farming efficiency."
The acquisition gives Emmetts a footprint on the Eyre Peninsula for the first time.
Mr Emmett said his company's mission was to support Australian farmers and producers with innovation and best practices for growing the cleanest and greenest produce in the world.
He said the acquisition was expected to bring significant benefits to customers and staff of both companies by providing tailored farm equipment technology solutions - sales, parts and service of world-class brands; as well as a greater product range distribution across diverse geographical areas and farming applications.
Former Pringles Crouch chief executive Craig Walker said he was delighted to have reached an agreement with Emmetts.
"A major consideration in the decision process was to align with a local, family-owned group who understand farming at a local level and can continue to provide our staff with opportunities to build their careers," he said.
"This is an opportunity for everyone across the Pringles Crouch branches to expand their capabilities through enhanced training and development opportunities."
With the coming together of these high-performing dealerships, John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler said he also welcomed the news.
"Emmetts and Pringles Crouch are two businesses committed to the John Deere brand and committed to delivering industry-leading innovation and support to their customers," he said.
The acquisition was effective as of August 31, and Pringles Crouch will operate under the Emmetts brand name.
Paula Thompson
Paula Thompson is ACM's National Machinery and Ag Tech writer. She has been an agricultural journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was a reporter with the Stock Journal, covering livestock markets and the grains industry.
Paula Thompson is ACM's National Machinery and Ag Tech writer. She has been an agricultural journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was a reporter with the Stock Journal, covering livestock markets and the grains industry.
