For generations, Sharmans Agricultural has been dedicated to serving farming communities all over the UK
A farmers’ indispensable partner, Sharmans Agricultural (Sharmans) is a family run agricultural machinery dealership primarily known for holding the JCB and Case IH franchises. Its extensive range of equipment also includes brands like Amazone, Bailey Trailers, Bateman, Bednar, Bunning, Claydon, DalBo, Honda, Krone, Logic, Lucas G, MacDon, Martin Lishman, Major, Nugent, Spearhead, and Sumo.
Alongside both new and used tractors and combines for sale, Sharmans also supplies genuine farming parts, batteries, accessories, clothing, and many other essential items. With a highly skilled service department made up of experienced agricultural service technicians using the latest laptop diagnostic technology, the company ensures customer downtime is kept to an absolute minimum. Sally-Anne Hazard, Marketing Director, shares the company’s history.
Sharmans was purchased by the Barclay family in 1981, and today, it remains a family-run agricultural farm machinery dealership selling new and used agricultural machinery, such as tractors, combines, trailers, cultivation equipment, and anything else needed to run an agricultural or farming operation. “My father and grandfather, Roger and Harry Barclay, acquired Sharman and Ladbury when it was a Ford Motor car and tractor dealership,” Sally-Anne begins. “Agriculture being their passion, my father and grandfather focused on growing the agricultural side of the business, purchasing the Elbar site at Grantham and T.C. Harrison site at Stamford.
“Since then, we have evolved into a far bigger operation with nine depots located, in order of acquisition, in Melton Mowbray, Grantham, Stamford, Lowdham, Pytchley, Eltisley, Chesterfield, Towcester, and Louth. We cover a huge geographical area spanning the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Cambridgeshire, and Northamptonshire,” she adds.
Catering to diverse needs
Across each of these locations, Sharmans caters to the local community with an extensive range of equipment, which Sally-Anne describes in greater detail. “We sell heavy-duty machinery from our mainline franchises, Case IH and JCB. Tractors are our biggest seller, and our portfolio encompasses everything from small 50-horsepower Farmall models to Quadtracs with over 700 horsepower. On the JCB side, we offer mini diggers, telehandlers, loading shovels, and Fastracs, the world’s fastest tractor! To complement these products, we supply a range of machinery, including sprayers, trailers, and cultivation equipment as well as grass, hay, and forage equipment.
“Of course, as all equipment may require repairs, maintenance, servicing, or parts during their lifespan, we supply all those services and the necessary parts. So, if someone needs their air conditioning recharged, or their brakes tested, we can handle that. Moreover, everything is about precision now, so we have a precision farming department that utilizes satellite navigation with a receiver on the roof of the tractors and combines. This enables the machinery to drive itself down a programmed line without any overlap or the need to steer, thus saving seed, fertilizer, and time,” she elaborates.
Imminent expansion 
Dedicated to serving as many people across as many parts of England as possible, Sharmans has recently invested in a new, purpose-built depot in Pattishall. Sally-Anne explains how this facility will make a positive difference in the company’s ability to cater to a wider customer base. “Our growth since the pandemic has been huge, but we welcome it with open arms. Our motto is ‘the dealer makes the difference,’ as it is the dealer that directly caters to the customer’s needs. As part of our growth strategy, we decided to build a purpose-built depot in the village of Pattishall, located south of Northampton and slightly west of its center. Previously, Northampton was a barrier for people traveling to our depot near Kettering. It was quicker for them to travel further to another dealership than to come through Northampton to our Kettering depot. By opening a new depot in Pattishall, we are empowered to better serve the South Northamptonshire region and to be easier to access for surrounding farmers, contractors, and rural businesses. We are keen to stay local to people so that they can easily find us and do business with us.
“This is a very exciting time for us. Our Pattishall depot is open and ready for business. We will hold an open day on the 13th of November 2024, and we are currently in the middle of launching a social media campaign to spread the word about our new depot and the parts and machines we offer,” she goes on.
Similarly, in 2023, Sharmans acquired a company in Louth, marking its first step towards diversification into groundscare. “The dealer network is in a state of constant evolution, with changing manufacturer demands and some dealers struggling to keep up. As a result, we are constantly monitoring opportunities, and we decided to expand further by acquiring Louth Tractors, a one-depot outlet based in Lincolnshire. Since the company was a main dealer for Case IH in central, east, and northeast Lincolnshire, it was a great fit. We negotiated to buy the business and officially did so in February 2023, after which we took on the company and its staff, welcoming them into the Sharmans family.
“This acquisition has enabled us to grow our business and build on the success of the Case IH brand and our overall customer experience. Moreover, Louth Tractors was an established groundscare outlet, supplying commercial and domestic mowers, chainsaws, leaf blowers, and more. We are now looking to emulate their success in that area at some of our other outlets, starting with Grantham and Stamford. This type of acquisition helps cement our position in the UK as a leading family-run machinery dealership,” Sally-Anne ends.
Through continuous expansion across strategic regions, Sharmans is empowered to offer top-quality machinery to various agricultural communities across the UK.