Getting a statement out of Vp on the subject is proving tricky, but it appears that it has closed its market-leading Mr Cropper pile cropping business.
Vp acquired Mr Cropper for £4.6m in 2013 but has now sold its assets to Aska Rodgers.
Aska Rodgers says that it has acquired from Mr Cropper its entire inventory of 856 pile croppers, plus additional ancillary equipment, all hydraulic spare parts stock and specialist hydraulic rigs. It has not taken on any premises or personnel.
Asked for confirmation of the deal, a Vp spokesperson said simply: “Vp has not sold Mr Cropper.” The fact that it had sold all of its assets and shut the business was not admitted.
However, according to Mark Graham of Aska Rodgers: “We acquired all the assets of Mr Cropper on the clear understanding that Vp and or Mr Cropper will not be re-entering the market again, with the same or similar products now or in the future.”
Mark Graham is the former owner of Astra Site Services, which was the UK’s largest supplier of hydraulic excavator attachments to the demolition, construction and rail industries wqhen he sold it to A-Plant in 2018.
With the non-compete period having expired, he set up in the attachments business again last year, with Aska Attachments as a division of Aska Rodgers. Aska Attachments was set up with some of the original Astra Site Services staff, operating from Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.
Aska Rodgers has also taken on a dealership for Leica machine control systems, and over the last two months has invested £1.5m in a Leica rental fleet and service equipment.
Aska Pile Croppers now becomes the third arm of the new venture, alongside Aska Attachments and Aska Machine Control.
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