John Deere has announced that dealers Stephen W Moore Ltd, Coleraine, Co Derry, is acquiring neighbouring franchise Johnston Gilpin & Co based in Lisburn, Co Antrim.

The move which is in line with Deere’s Dealer of Tomorrow strategy and rumoured for quite some time now will see the large, single dealer serve the entire counties of Antrim, Derry, Armagh and Down.

All Johnston Gilpin & Co staff, assets, stock and premises will be transferred to Stephen W Moore Ltd. Meanwhile, the Lisburn branch will continue to trade under the Johnston Gilpin name. Day-to-day business will also go unchanged under the ownership and management of Stephen and Alison Moore.

The expanded dealership will offer the full range of John Deere agricultural machinery for the east of the province as well as domestic and professional turf care products for the entirety of Northern Ireland and Donegal.

Exciting time

Dealer principal Stephen Moore said: “This is an exciting time as we prepare to nearly double the size of our business with the next stage of our evolution. The transition will be smooth and steady, ensuring that it’s business as usual for our customers while we are learning from each other behind the scenes.”

John Deere’s division sales manager Brian D’Arcy, said: “The acquisition is a great fit for our dealer network and the new, larger business – backed up by the support from John Deere – is an extremely strong proposition for our customers in Northern Ireland.”

Johnston Gilpin & Co Ltd was founded in 1968 by Johnston Gilpin, Cyril Johnston and Donn McConnell as Northern Ireland’s first John Deere dealer. Donn McConnell later took ownership in 1991 and was joined by sons Randal and Neale by 1995. The company successfully expanded over 54 years to employ 37 staff and operate through two branches, the main branch for its agricultural ranges and the nearby Ground Control branch taking care of the Turf Care side of the business.

Stephen W Moore has been a John Deere dealer since 2008 in Coleraine, offering the full range including forage harvesters and combines as well as tractors and implements.