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Fantastic camaraderie, lots of deals being done, and great attendance rates were a winning formula for an excellent Ruralco Instore Days according to Ruralco CEO Rob Sharkie.

Well over 2000 people attended the two-day event at Ruralco’s Ashburton store, with around 90 suppliers in attendance sharing their industry knowledge and expertise with local farmers.

“A big thank you goes out to the Ashburton community for their support of this event. While it can be a bit disruptive with the extra traffic and pressure on parking, Instore Days is great for the town, with plenty of increased retail activity. The hospitality sector also gets a boost with more visitors staying and eating in Ashburton,” says Rob.

Recent years have also seen an increase in Ruralco’s online presence, and this year many local, and not so local farmers took advantage of the specially negotiated Instore Days pricing from the comfort of their own homes. The first online transaction was recorded at 12.45am on the first day of Instore Days, and online orders were placed from all over the South Island, and from some North Island locations.

This year’s Instore Days also saw the launch of Ruralco’s “Farmers. We’ve Got Your Back” campaign which aims to be a nationwide movement of recognition and appreciation for our farming sector.

“Farmers deserve recognition for the hard mahi they put in every day. At Ruralco, we recognise that this is a story that needs to be told around the whole country. Our campaign recognises all that farming does for our nation – the jobs it provides, the food it produces, its export value for our economy, and its sustainability going forward for future generations,” says Rob.

“While commodity prices have generally been quite favourable, farmers’ confidence has been quite low due to negative perceptions and weighty compliance. Our campaign is designed to tell the good news stories and help restore farmer positivity.”

Instore Days was a great opportunity to launch the campaign and has already met with good support.

“Planning will get underway soon for next year’s event, which will be the 29^th Instore Days occurring in the co-operatives 60^th year of business – definitely a cause for celebration,” says Rob.

For more information about Farmers. We’ve Got Your Back go to https://www.ruralco.co.nz/gotyourback