DEALERSHIP CELEBRATING 150 YEARS

PICTURED ABOVE: Chairman and CEO, James Thurlow (5th generation) and managing director of TNS & TN, Will Tew (6th generation)

Thurlow Nunn Standen (TNS), the family-owned and managed agricultural machinery dealer based in East Anglia, is marking its 150th anniversary this year.

From its origins supplying steam engines and threshing equipment, TNS has grown into one of the leading farm machinery suppliers in the region.

Part of the Thurlow Nunn Group, TNS traces its roots to 1875, when George Thurlow, the great-great-grandfather of current chairman James Thurlow, founded the business in Stowmarket, Suffolk. The Company has remained family-owned for six generations and with significant growth achieved from humble beginnings, the Group now operates from 17 sites, including 11 Thurlow Nunn car dealerships across East Anglia, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Today, TNS operates agricultural machinery dealerships from 5 strategically located branches in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. As a mainline AGCO dealer, they hold franchises for Fendt, Massey Ferguson and Valtra tractors, along with a diverse range of complementary brands, including Manitou, Kubota, SUMO, HE-VA, Opico, Claydon, Kverneland and Major Equipment. It is also possibly the longest operating distributor of Massey Ferguson (formerly Massey Harris) tractors in the world.

TNS Fakenham

“This business has been successfully run by six generations of the same family, which is an achievement the family is proud to celebrate,” said Will Tew, managing director of Thurlow Nunn and Thurlow Nunn Standen. “We are thrilled to be commemorating our 150th anniversary in 2025 with special events to include our colleagues, business partners, family and friends. The Thurlow family’s story is both fascinating and significant, and we are excited to be able to share this occasion with a wider audience. As the business continues to grow and thrive, we are eager to see what the future holds.”

To commemorate this milestone, the Thurlow Nunn Group is launching a number of fundraising events in 2025 with the goal of raising £150,000 for Dementia UK, a cause that will be central to its anniversary activities. These celebrations will, however, be tinged with sadness, as James Thurlow’s father, John Thurlow, died from Dementia in June 2024.  

James Thurlow said, “Father was a dedicated and well-known figure in the East Anglian farming community; he was so proud of our family business and he would have loved being part of our celebrations.  Dementia is a cruel disease, which has a devastating effect on sufferers and their families.  We feel fortunate to have this opportunity to raise money to help support others affected by the disease.”

TNS are inviting everyone to join them in raising funds to support those impacted by dementia by visiting their JustGiving page.