On Friday, Openfield announced that it had completed the acquisition of Countrywide Farmers' grain business. The move was completed on 31st December 2014.

A statement from Openfield read, "We are delighted to welcome the employees, customers and farmers who engage with the team at Countrywide."

Commenting on the transaction, Openfield chief executive James Dallas added, "We look forward to working with the grain team to build on the strong relationships that they have developed with farmers and customers alike, we believe that this is a great addition to the Openfield business."

Countrywide Farmers chief executive John Hardman also commented, "We thank the grain team for their contributions to our business and feel that Openfield represents the best opportunity for our staff and customers, providing a specialist and well respected environment in which they can continue to flourish. This restructure will allow us to focus and invest in our Countrystore retail network of 53 stores across England and Wales, to better meet the needs of the farming and wider rural community and to deliver long term growth."