Kubota's global growth towards a full-line agriculture equipment provider is driving shifts and expansion in its Ontario dealers.

Smaller dealers who have been with the company for decades, selling its small construction, turf, lawn and garden equipment are morphing into full-fledged agriculture dealers.

Why it matters: Kubota is growing its smaller dealerships into larger centers that focus on agriculture equipment, along with construction and turf. That's bringing more competition to the marketplace.

Kubota's agriculture growth strategy was on full display recently at a grand opening for Hyde Park Equipment's new location. Hyde Park Equipment has been a dealer of Kubota equipment from its small shop on the north end of London for 29 years. The company recently opened a new showcase dealership south of Hwy. 401 near London, with a much larger shop, office and a showroom.

Larry Annaert, left and Chris Lisabeth, are owners of Hyde Park Equipment, which has expanded to a second location south of London.

“We outgrew our Hyde Park location,” said Larry Annaert, who owns Hyde Park Equipment with nephew Chris Lisabeth.

The new location south of London will serve Elgin County with Kubota's growing line of agriculture equipment along with construction and turf products, said Annaert. The Hyde Park location will continue to operate to serve customers north of London.

The growth in Kubota's equipment line, with the addition of companies such as Great Plains and Kverneland, along with larger tractors, made the move to the new larger dealership make sense, he said.

Bob Hickey, president of Kubota Canada, said at the open house for the new dealership that the type of building at the new Hyde Park Equipment location is the model for all of the new dealership buildings being built across Canada.

“This is a visual indicator of where Kubota is going,” he said. Traditionally, dealers have sold Kubota agriculture equipment with other farm equipment brands as their anchor line-ups. Kubota wants that to change, with dealers that have Kubota as their lead brand. They are accomplishing that by building up existing smaller dealers into new larger line-up dealers.