PET’s 2026 Dealer Survey finds an industry that is far from hopeless.

If there is one word that describes the independent power equipment dealer in 2026, it might be pragmatic. Not exactly booming, but not collapsing in defeat either. No, most lawn and garden power equipment dealers across the country are pragmatic, according to the most recent Power Equipment Trade Dealer Survey, conducted every other year since 1992.

This year’s results paint the picture of an industry that knows exactly where its challenges are. The 188 responding dealers are dealing with an aging ownership base, changing distribution relationships, fewer equipment lines, pressure on margins, technician costs, online competition and an uncertain succession picture—all in line with the overall industry trend. At the same time, many remain profitable, continue to invest in their service departments and, perhaps most importantly, still see a future for themselves in the power equipment business.

Perhaps the most striking number in the entire survey appears in the very first question. A whopping 76% of respondents are at least 60 years old; while another 12% fall between 50 and 59. Those numbers put a hard figure on a conversation PET has heard around the industry for years: Succession isn’t an abstract future problem for the dealer channel. It is here, the problem is now staring us all in the face.

The trend is undeniable: Fifteen-plus years ago, in the 2010 PET Dealer Survey just under 30% of dealers reported they were over the age of 60. The trend has also accelerated since the pandemic. Just 10 years ago, in 2016, some 40% of dealers who responded said they were over 60. By 2022, as the pandemic’s emergencies and major hardships began to fade, the number of dealers reporting they were over 60 jumped to 62%.

And it isn’t just that an aging ownership base doesn’t automatically mean businesses will shutter. The fact that many dealerships run relatively lean doesn’t bode well for the future either. Thirty-seven percent of respondents employ just one or two others full-time in addition to themselves.

Another 21% have three to five employees. Just under 15% reported having no full-time employees, while 10% employ more than 15 people. That means nearly six in 10 respondents who have employees operate with five or fewer full-time workers: Losing one tech in a 50-person organization hurts; losing one in a three-person shop can kill what that business is capable of doing.

• FERRIS
• MARUYAMA
• KRESS
• PIONEER POWER EQUIPMENT
• SUNBELT OUTDOOR PRODUCTS
• VANGUARD ENGINES

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