Times Colonist
John Deere, the famous farm tractor and implement brand, is shutting its last store on Vancouver Island at the end of the month, stranding farmers who will have to rely on mobile mechanics, service from the Lower Mainland and parts shipped by mail and courier.
“It’s a huge disappointment for us,” said Saanichton farmer Bryce Rashleigh, who was seeding lentils on Wednesday with a John Deere tractor and seeder.
Rashleigh has 26 pieces of John Deere equipment — ranging from bailers and swathers to tractors and combines. “It’s one more hardship for farmers on the Island,” he said.
Prairie Coast Equipment, which owns 10 John Deere dealerships in B.C. and northern Alberta, told customers in a letter that the company’s Duncan store will close June 1. General manager Clarence Lindblom said Prairie Coast will support existing customers from its Langley and Abbotsford locations.
That was cold comfort for Rashleigh, who said corporate consolidation of the brand’s dealerships over the years simply increases the cost of doing business for farmers.
Ten employees at the Duncan dealership, located on the Trans-Canada Highway south of Duncan, will lose their jobs. Some have already relocated to other dealerships.
Prairie Coast did not immediately return calls.
In the letter to customers, Lindblom said although the company will not have a physical store on the Island, “our goal will be to continue to provide service for our parts, service and sales departments. We will have road technicians located on the Island with fully equipped service vehicles to assist onsite and provide any warranty, maintenance or repairs.”
He said the Abbotsford location will handle parts orders and distribution for the Island. Ground freight will be paid by the company until other distribution plans can be made. “Our longer-term plan is to set up parts pick up locations on the Island, he said.
Agricultural sales will be handled through Abbotsford, and turf-lawn and garden tractor sales will be handled though Langley, the company said.
Rashleigh, who has been farming in the region since 1979, said the Duncan dealership has changed hands five times in that span. Prairie Coast was created in November 2009 when four dealers in B.C. and northern Alberta merged. One of those dealers was Friesen Equipment of Abbotsford, which in 2006 acquired All Island Deere (2002) Ltd. out of bankruptcy. The Saanichton dealership closed about a decade ago. Rashleigh claims the Duncan location was “mismanaged” and said the closure is an example of a large company basing its decision on numbers, not people.
“They had great staff working up in Duncan,” he said. “You feel for them. We had a parts lady up there who was fantastic and helped us out all the time.”
One of those staffers has since relocated to Lethbridge, Alta., and Rashleigh said he will deal with that person for his parts and service advice.
