Nat Southworth to leave Hornby

[Andy Y]

http://toyworldmag.co.uk/news/nat-southworth-to-leave-Hornby/

 

 

Toy World understands that Nat Southworth will be leaving Hornby Hobbies next week, following the announcement of a forthcoming restructure at the company. We will bring you more news on the restructure shortly.

 

Steve Cooke, Hornby CEO, commented: “After six years with Hornby, Nat has decided that it is the right time to move on and will be leaving the business at the end of July. Hornby Hobbies would like to thank Nat for the significant contribution he has made to Hornby since he joined, and we wish him all the very best for the future”.

 

[JSpencer]

Good luck to him and I hope what he learned will be put to constructive use in any future role.

[MGR Hooper!]

Good luck to Nat and thanks for all his contributions...

[Legend]

Yes best wishes to him and hope he finds success in future role . What Hornby needs now is someone with a knowledge of railways and marketing . He or she needs to get the trade accounts back and incentivised as well as having direct sales as a sales channel . A return to a good old fashioned catalogue appealing to the nostalgia market would be good . I don't advocate a return to the Simon Kohler days . The barmy embargoes, models in Railroad and main ranges, 3 pole , 5 pole confusion , wrong descriptions ,uninspiring catalogues . Nice guy but did you ever get anything out him ? Time for a new start . Where's my CV

[Fenman]

Yes best wishes to him and hope he finds success in future role . What Hornby needs now is someone with a knowledge of railways and marketing . He or she needs to get the trade accounts back and incentivised as well as having direct sales as a sales channel . A return to a good old fashioned catalogue appealing to the nostalgia market would be good . I don't advocate a return to the Simon Kohler days . The barmy embargoes, models in Railroad and main ranges, 3 pole , 5 pole confusion , wrong descriptions ,uninspiring catalogues . Nice guy but did you ever get anything out him ? Time for a new start . Where's my CV

What an unpleasant post. It irresistibly reminds me of those ungrateful so-and-soes demanding to know what the Romans had ever done for us.

 

I'm sitting here looking at Clauds, J15s, assorted ranges of coaching stock and god knows how much more that came out of the Kohler (and Southworth) eras. I'm hugely grateful to them and their colleagues, and I wish them every happiness in the future.

 

Paul

[Ozexpatriate]

No doubt this will be a difficult hire and much will depend on whether Hornby wants 'domain experts' (for each brand, including railways, motor sports, military history, etc) with a marketing background or someone similar to the job Nat was expected to do - someone focused purely on marketing and expected to cover all of Hornby's brands without necessarily having a deep experience in any of them.

 

At the end of the day this job is very much about what the executive team believe it's role and responsibilities should be.

[Ian Hargrave]

Yes best wishes to him and hope he finds success in future role . What Hornby needs now is someone with a knowledge of railways and marketing . He or she needs to get the trade accounts back and incentivised as well as having direct sales as a sales channel . A return to a good old fashioned catalogue appealing to the nostalgia market would be good . I don't advocate a return to the Simon Kohler days . The barmy embargoes, models in Railroad and main ranges, 3 pole , 5 pole confusion , wrong descriptions ,uninspiring catalogues . Nice guy but did you ever get anything out him ? Time for a new start . Where's my CV

 

Lest we forget....the advances made from the days of Triang and Palitoy are largely due to two men,both recently retired....Graham Hubbard and Simon Kohler.Without their initiative we would not be enjoying a current embarrassment of riches. Some of us seem to have developed lapses of memory I think.

[Legend]

Pretty good memory actually. Yes agree on Graham Hubbard and I'd also say Merl Evans . Bachmann were responsible for advancing standards at reasonable cost. Without them you could argue we would still have tender powered steamers . Clan Line was a response to improved standards elsewhere that Hornby had to catch up with and had the opportunity to do so with transfer of manufacturing to China. I also remember a statement one Christmas announcement that all future Hornby locos would only be supplied DCC installed . It was rescinded pretty quickly . If you give credit for such locos as J15 and D16 then you also have to include the VEP and some of the Design Clever howlers and stone wall response of Hornby to issues. In fact the decision to announce Design Clever was a mistake. Then there's the decision to go head to head with Bachmann on B1 and 4MT . Not sure these were money spinners for a Hornby. The blue grey era has effectively been abandoned to Bachmann.

 

So there is lots of good, but certainly some not so good too.

[Clearwater]

Aka not pleased he didn't get CEO role earlier in the year I'd wager...

 

David

[Horsetan]

No doubt this will be a difficult hire and much will depend on whether Hornby wants 'domain experts' (for each brand, including railways, motor sports, military history, etc) with a marketing background or someone similar to the job Nat was expected to do - someone focused purely on marketing and expected to cover all of Hornby's brands without necessarily having a deep experience in any of them.

 

At the end of the day this job is very much about what the executive team believe it's role and responsibilities should be.

 

Frankly any job in RTR is a difficult hire these days, and the Hornby one sounds a touch like the England football manager's post: a poisoned chalice.

 

Good luck to anyone who has the job thrust upon him / her.

[dibber25]

It's a mistake to single out individuals as being responsible for the good or bad developments in RTR - much like we credit CMEs with individual locomotive designs. Certainly Merl pushed design developments and detail forward, right from his days at Airfix GMR, but he wasn't alone. These firms have teams of designers and teams of marketeers and so on. Maybe not big teams but teams nevertheless, and at Hornby individuals within the design team were responsible for specific projects. At both Hornby and Bachmann, the choice of what to make went before a panel - it was never down to just Simon or just Graham to decide what was done. In fact both of them complained to me on occasions that they had failed to get the OK to do something they had wanted to do. There are no 'Brunels' in RTR 'OO' (well, one, maybe...)

As far as Nat Southworth was concerned, he was responsible to a large extent for the direction which Hornby has taken with regard to its relations with retailers, its treatment of the model media, direct selling and putting all its 'eggs' in the on-line basket etc, and that change of direction lost Hornby many friends. It will be interesting to see whether his post is filled or left vacant. Hornby needs some adjustment to its course, not to be left rudderless. (CJL)

[Rivercider]

Frankly any job in RTR is a difficult hire these days, and the Hornby one sounds a touch like the England football manager's post: a poisoned chalice.

 

Good luck to anyone who has the job thrust upon him / her.

So, therefore, assuming we need someone in the 'Big' Sam Allardice mould,

what we need now from Hornby to start with, is a good solid 0-6-0 from each of the Big Four,

 

(apologies to Nat Southworth who I wish well)

 

cheers 

[jjb1970]

In life very few are free of virtue just as none of us are free of vice. I'm sure that Nat Southworth did what he thought was best for Hornby, as did Simon Kohler and their counterparts at Bachmann, Dapol etc. If they take the opporobrium for things that go wrong then they should take the credit for things that went right and vice versa. I wish Nat all the best for the future and hope that Hornby find the right person to market their brands and push development of the right products.

[Horsetan]

So, therefore, assuming we need someone in the 'Big' Sam Allardice mould,

what we need now from Hornby to start with, is a good solid 0-6-0 from each of the Big Four....

 

How about a good honest 4-4-2: the RTR equivalent of the "long ball" game?

[Ozexpatriate]

Frankly any job in RTR is a difficult hire these days, and the Hornby one sounds a touch like the England football manager's post: a poisoned chalice.

Indeed. Applicants should start building up an immunity to Iocane powder then.

[Andy Y]

As far as Nat Southworth was concerned, he was responsible to a large extent for the direction which Hornby has taken with regard to its relations with retailers, its treatment of the model media, direct selling and putting all its 'eggs' in the on-line basket etc, and that change of direction lost Hornby many friends. It will be interesting to see whether his post is filled or left vacant. Hornby needs some adjustment to its course, not to be left rudderless. (CJL)

 

I don't suppose we'll ever know whether he was architect or accomplice in that issue.

 

Nat's role had been 'Sales & Brand Director', this changed earlier in the year when Charlie Caminada (Non-Exec Director with experience of licensing at HIT)  stepped in as Interim Group Sales Director with Nat's responsibility becoming Marketing and Development teams. My understanding is that an Interim Brand & Marketing Director has been appointed with a background which does not appear to indicate any toy/model experience. This year has seen some improvements in relationships with retailers and there are some signs that there may be improved relationships with the model media to come so hopefully some common sense will develop.

 

However there is still a strong design and development team evident in the various brands within the business who have worked hard through a time of change and anxiety; even though there have been casualties on that front too unfortunately.

[lofty1966]

So, therefore, assuming we need someone in the 'Big' Sam Allardice mould,

what we need now from Hornby to start with, is a good solid 0-6-0 from each of the Big Four,

 

(apologies to Nat Southworth who I wish well)

 

 

 

cheers

No one needs a Sam Allardyce.

Hoof and hope and try not to concede. If you do concede , try hoof and hope and try not to concede another. Do not attempt to win just try not to lose.

Hornby need someone dynamic, not a dinosaur!

[Bernard Lamb]

Do not attempt to win just try not to lose.

 

Given the current uncertainties, take that to include or exclude as much as you like, that is probable as optimistic a view as any body dare take.

Particularly so in the model train area.

Survive the next three years and then stick your head above the parapet seems to me to be a good idea.

Bernard

[Ian J.]

It sounds to me like they need people who can be steady hands at the pumps, while also able to keep an eye on the changing marketplace and demographic within the hobby.*

 

* And are good with people, which rules me out in case anyone suggest I have a go because I'm unemployed.

[Mallard60022]

Dare I ask if a 'take over' by another successful Company might be an option (or did I miss that somewhere?)

P

[Dunsignalling]

Dare I ask if a 'take over' by another successful Company might be an option (or did I miss that somewhere?)

P

I understand that the revised arrangements Hornby now have in place with their bankers are intended to last for three years.

 

As for a takeover of Hornby Hobbies in total, I don't think there are any candidates with both the muscle and the inclination to do that within the model railway industry.

 

John

[Legend]

Dare I ask if a 'take over' by another successful Company might be an option (or did I miss that somewhere?)

P

Hopefully not! But at the end of the day it depends how low the share price goes. If it drops then someone may decide the value of the brand is worth it and buy shares. As with anything there has to be a willing buyer and seller , some may be holding onto shares in hope value will increase.

[Horsetan]

....As for a takeover of Hornby Hobbies in total, I don't think there are any candidates with both the muscle and the inclination to do that within the model railway industry.

 

Sometimes the result of a takeover is that the only the brand name is worth anything (whether financially or historically), and subsequently goes dormant - e.g. Austin, Wolseley, Triumph, etc.

 

Pray that, if a takeover does happen, the Hornby name isn't then sat upon by its new owner, with no actual production happening.

[Ozexpatriate]

As for a takeover of Hornby Hobbies in total, I don't think there are any candidates with both the muscle and the inclination to do that within the model railway industry.

Sometimes the result of a takeover is that the only the brand name is worth anything (whether financially or historically), and subsequently goes dormant - e.g. Austin, Wolseley, Triumph, etc.

They're certainly out there, but you have to think bigger than model railways.

 

Were Hornby to be an acquisition target, it could well be the likes of Hasbro or Mattel or other large company in the toy sector. I've seen a couple of surprising acquisitions of British companies post Brexit. The lowered pound suddenly makes companies a more attractive target.  Their best protection against that is likely their (presently) low profitability numbers and the fact that model railways doesn't scale to the mass market like toys for pre-schoolers do.

[Ian J.]

The biggest risk of a bigger player of the toy variety taking over any model railway company is that they will simply not understand it's not a toy beyond the simplest stuff and the market is far more for adults, which is a very different mindset to be dealing with compared to 'kiddies'.