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“ We’ ve always been in contact with Sumitomo; we were a case dealer for them from 2003 up until 2019,” Lee recounts.“ In late 2019, we then got in touch with them and told them that we’ d like a dealership. The process started in 2024 and the dealership was finally given to us in 2025.
“ The launch has been really successful. We received 51 units in our first batch at the end of November, and they were all sold out by the end of February 2026,” he reveals.“ At the beginning of April, we then took a delivery of 98 units, which have also all sold now, and we’ re expecting 80 more in September – most of which are already spoken for. A large percentage of those have gone to our existing clients, but we’ ve also gained a lot of new customers thanks to our new Plant Sales Specialist, Dan Kitching.” the family business since its inception. For him, long-term success is built as much on quality equipment and modern premises as it is on trust, honesty, and a hands-on approach to customer service.
“ We aim to be very transparent, clear, and honest; we’ re not here to pull the wool over anyone’ s eyes,” he affirms.“ We want to be known for selling good, clean new and used equipment. We’ re all really hard-working and are available 24 / 7. Our grandad has brought us up on good family morals. No job is too big or small for anyone to get their hands in and get dirty.”
These principles continue to shape the company’ s direction as it looks ahead
Investing in infrastructure
The rapid success of the Sumitomo dealership has been complemented by significant investment behind the scenes. Recognising the need to support growing customer demand and strengthen its longterm capabilities, C J Leonard has invested significantly in site development, creating a facility designed to enhance both customer experience and aftersales support.
“ We’ ve been developing the site over the last 18 months,” Lee confirms.“ We’ ve added a huge concrete display area with new fencing and lighting, and we have started work on a new warehouse for parts distribution and service. In addition, we’ ve just fully refurbished our main offices to bring a modern, fresh look. All in all, we’ ve invested upwards of £ 2 million in our premises alone, along with over £ 300,000 in spare parts for Sumitomo excavators.”
While investment in facilities and infrastructure has played a key role in the company’ s recent growth, Lee emphasises that C J Leonard’ s greatest strength lies in its people and the values that have underpinned
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