Just to add my ten pennyworth, it is sad to see such an institution go, but unlike a lot of retailers, restaurants, etc that have gone recently and many more that I suspect are about to go, Hattons are going with their heads held high. They have not called in the the receiver or liquidator and will leave the retail market without debts to besmirch their name. Having looked at their recent accounts I can fully understand why they have decided to close. Whilst Hattons Originals tooling may be snapped up by another manufacturer, recent history shows that retail businesses have very little residual value, Wilco being a good recent example of this. There will many good business reasons for closing now, apart from the quadruple storm (Brexit, Covid, Ukraine and now the Middle East) that has hit businesses over the last five years, so don't be surprised if the other majors in our hobby review their business models.
So, all I can do is thank everybody at Hattons for their service over the years and wish all there the best for the future.
Steve