Tractor Supply Company announced on February 17th that it entered into an agreement to acquire Orscheln Farm and Home for about $297 million in cash.
Orscheln is based in Moberly and has 167 stores in 11 states. Store locations include Trenton, Chillicothe, Bethany, Brookfield, Cameron, Carrollton, and Kirksville.
Tractor Supply Company is based in Brentwood, Tennessee. As of December, the company operated 1,923 stores in 49 states. The company calls itself “the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States.”
Tractor Supply President and Chief Executive Officer Hal Lawton says the acquisition “is an exciting step” for the company as it expands into the Midwest with the “high-quality assets of Orscheln Farm and Home.”
Orscheln Chairman and CEO Barry Orscheln says he is “confident that with Tractor Supply, [Orscheln’s] stores will be well-positioned to continue the…tradition of taking care of…customers and communities for the next phase of growth.”
Tractor Supply also owns 182 Petsense stores in 25 states that offer pet supplies and dog grooming services. None are in Columbia, but stores can be found in St. Robert, Lebanon, Sullivan, and Sikeston.
William “Barry” Orscheln, board chairman of Orscheln Farm and Home, announced the merger to employees this week. He told employees that he believes Tractor Supply is “an excellent fit” and that the two companies share similar culture and values, according to a company statement. The merger “will enhance the total shopping experience for our customers and the communities in which we do business,” he said.
Orscheln Farm and Home was founded in 1960 when it opened a store in Sedalia to sell farm and livestock supplies. It now employs 2,800 people and sells tools, apparel, and sporting goods, along with traditional farm supplies, the Missourian has reported.
“Over the last 20 years, Orscheln Farm and Home has added over 60 store locations and has a presence in 11 states across the Midwestern and Southwestern U.S.,” Marc Johnson, president of Orscheln Farm and Home, told the Missourian last fall.
