Dealership gives employees new lease of life

South West based ABA Groundcare has expanded with another a new depot opened recently in Tiverton, Devon.

Following the closure of MST in the town, Jamie Hutchings, owner of ABA Groundcare, seized the opportunity to expand his business and opened up a branch in Tiverton.

“We established the business in 2014 in Dorchester. We built up in that region and then looked to expand,” explains Jamie.

“I got to know Scott Struthers from MST and dealt and traded with him regularly. I offered him a job many times, but he always said no. When we heard what was happening with MST we offered five former members of the staff including Scott, a job at our new premises in Tiverton, totalling over 200 years experience.”

Jamie addes that employing skilled staff was an issue in every trade, and he was thankful that he could find five skilled new members willing to carry on working together.

The Tiverton branch of ABA Groundcare offers servicing and parts, supply garden machinery and agricultural vehicles from a range of the manufactures including Stihl, Yamaha, Husqvarna and Stiga alongside the specialist ISEKI ground care unit.

“We are continuing to offer a service which customers of MST now miss here in Tiverton,” says Jamie. “It’s also a great central location as you can get anywhere reasonably quickly in Devon from here.

“It’s a service-led business, but we sell as well,” Jamie adds. “We are here to look out for our customers; any sales are a bonus. Scott Struthers, previous sales rep for MST, has built up excellent relationships with customers in the area, it is great to have him on board to continue offering the same service.”

Commenting on the change Scott Struthers says: “It’s the best outcome for me and my customers, I have built up such good relationships with so many in the Devon area and to be able to continue to build on this with such good support and service from ABA Groundcare is the ideal outcome for me.”

David Withers, managing director of ISEKI, adds: “It’s exciting for us. We’ve been trading with Jamie, ABA Groundcare for many years and have a great relationship, which makes it easier. We know Jamie; we know he is really customer focused and dedicated to the service side of the business, which is what customers really want.

“As well as that, you’ve got a group of people who we would’ve lost all of that industry knowledge if Jamie hadn’t stepped in to do what he’s done. It’s great for the customers in the area who will get great backup support, and we’ll get more exposure going forward. It’s excellent for Jamie to be able to expand his business.”