Southern States Cooperative announces new growth strategy

Southern States Cooperative has announced a new Agronomy Business Unit to better serve the needs of core agricultural customers. Southern States offers a range of products and services to help growers in the field.

“We have reorganized our wholesale crops division, with 67 retail stores located in 13 high-volume agronomy districts, to form the new Agronomy Business Unit. Our new growth strategy will enable us to be more streamlined and efficient from sourcing products to application in our farmers’ fields,” said Tom Scribner, Southern States president and CEO. “For years, Southern States has been organized around wholesale and retail business units. To ensure we create great customer experiences, we are aligning our infrastructure and associates to meet the evolving needs of our farmer producers and rural lifestyle customers.”

As part of the multipronged strategy, Southern States will expand offerings with branded dealers, independent dealers and commercial accounts. Also, a small number of retail locations - less than 2 percent of total retail reach - will be closed or consolidated across the 17-state commercial region by late July. More retail stores, as well as independent dealers for Southern States branded products, will be added in the future. Stores will focus on rural America customers in high-growth markets including cow-calf operators, equine customers, gardeners and rural enthusiasts.

Scribner added that Southern States is investing in a series of operational changes, including inventory management and point-of-sale systems that will improve the experience and ease of doing business for all customers.

Customers will begin to see these changes in mid-July and throughout the fall.

Founded in 1923, Southern States is a farm supply and service cooperative that has approximately 200,000 members. For more information about Southern States, visit www.southernstates.com/pr, or follow on Twitter or Facebook.