Hornby 2023 Annual Report

[Steamport Southport]

On 07/08/2023 at 12:36, Weeny Works said:

Lots of the small Airfix starter kits are based on ancient mouldings. When a younger kid tries to model the subject, he/she will be frustrated by the panel gaps, warped plastic and fiddliness that it might put them off Airfix 🤣

 

Kids are internet savvy though.

 

Five minutes on YouTube and they'll find a video showing you how to build it!

 

 

 

Jason

[Bedlington North]

On 07/08/2023 at 12:36, Weeny Works said:

Lots of the small Airfix starter kits are based on ancient mouldings. When a younger kid tries to model the subject, he/she will be frustrated by the panel gaps, warped plastic and fiddliness that it might put them off Airfix 🤣

All of the Airfix 1/72 aircraft starter kits that I have seen and bought from Lidl/Aldi were all tooled in the second decade of the 21st century. And excellent kits they are. No huge panel gaps, no warped plastic and they literally fall together. Along with the excellent quality of the decal sheets I'd say they were excellent value for money. 

 

Suggest you Google when the Jet Provost T.3/4, Spitfire Mk1a, Hurricane Mk1, Messerschmitt Me109e and Focke Wulf Fw190A8 were released - you may get a surprise.

[Les1952]

On 08/08/2023 at 13:25, Bedlington North said:

All of the Airfix 1/72 aircraft starter kits that I have seen and bought from Lidl/Aldi were all tooled in the second decade of the 21st century. And excellent kits they are. No huge panel gaps, no warped plastic and they literally fall together. Along with the excellent quality of the decal sheets I'd say they were excellent value for money. 

 

Suggest you Google when the Jet Provost T.3/4, Spitfire Mk1a, Hurricane Mk1, Messerschmitt Me109e and Focke Wulf Fw190A8 were released - you may get a surprise.

 

Just a thought- if these are recent tooling and regular model shops can't get them, are they being produced mainly (or even exclusively) for the "centre aisle" market to increase brand awareness?

 

Les

[jjb1970]

The kits developed by Airfix in their Hornby era have been superbly done for the most part and hold their own against the competition, with some terrific subject choices. The older kits are variable, which is hardly surprising given that the tooling spans decades and some of it is ancient but the better ones whilst basic go together well and make nice models. And they have an amazing back catalogue in terms of subject material.

[Ron Ron Ron]

On 03/08/2023 at 18:36, micklner said:

Has anyone replace Kohler ?

 

On 03/08/2023 at 18:53, HExpressD said:

Yes, they have. 

 

On 08/08/2023 at 09:23, Ron Ron Ron said:

Is it a young lady, who was appointed in June?

 

On 08/08/2023 at 10:48, HExpressD said:

No

 

On 08/08/2023 at 11:07, Ron Ron Ron said:

OK thanks.

I had noticed they had appointed a new Marketing Manager in June (the person I was asking about).

 

 

If it's the right person, there's a new name is now up in lights.

Chief Marketing Officer - previously Global Marketing Director for Lego.

 

Alex Mawer ?

 

 

. 

[Guest]

Checking on LinkedIn that looks correct. Could be an astute move given Lego’s success in expanding their market and in direct retailing via their own stores alongside supplying other retailers. 

[andythenorth]

If that’s true that’s looking like a career wind-down or a passion move. The Lego Group (TLG) is a much bigger enterprise with a much stronger public brand 🙂

[AY Mod]

2 minutes ago, andythenorth said:

The Lego Group (TLG) is a much bigger enterprise with a much stronger public brand 🙂

 

45 minutes ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

Could be an astute move given Lego’s success in expanding their market and in direct retailing via their own stores alongside supplying other retailers. 

 

Check out the LinkedIn profile for more information on spheres of influence within the previous role.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, andythenorth said:

If that’s true that’s looking like a career wind-down or a passion move. The Lego Group (TLG) is a much bigger enterprise with a much stronger public brand 🙂

Well yes of course Lego is bigger than Hornby and maybe that was the opportunity he saw. Lego hasn’t always been as strong and well respected as it is now, so maybe he saw the new role as a challenge to re-position the Hornby brand. His connections with Merlin through the Legoland ventures may also be useful. 

[CUCKOO LINE]

Looks more like he thought time for another challenge, doesn't seem to stay anywhere more than 5 years, possibly not unreasonable for such a role as easy to get into a rut and creative things to do in a particular role. 

[RAF96]

Worth going onto LinkedIn and trawling the Hornby crowd - around 150+ souls registered. Interesting reading.

[adb968008]

On 07/08/2023 at 12:06, Legend said:

Ah yes Lidl . Go in for a loaf of bread and come out with a Divers suit because it was on offer in the middle row! Actually Airfix has done this before with Lidl. My nephew certainly picked up Hurricane , Spitfire, Mustang and FW190  in the previous releases . I think they just occasionally come up with a promotion with Lidl . I don’t see this as shifting old stock, more increasing the visibility of the brand . Is it particularly less expensive ?    Those that like the kits , may now seek out more intricate kits from their local model shop . 

Your thinking wrong way around

 

Q. why would lidl buy a one off or periodical batch of stock from a manufacturer…

A. companies only act for 2 reasons, revenue or expenses and I dont see an expense reason.

 

anything else is just sugar coating one of those two reasons.

 

On 07/08/2023 at 12:36, Weeny Works said:

Lots of the small Airfix starter kits are based on ancient mouldings. When a younger kid tries to model the subject, he/she will be frustrated by the panel gaps, warped plastic and fiddliness that it might put them off Airfix 🤣

it may put off those who dont have the passion, but those who do will find a way… and those are the only ones that really matter.

[adb968008]

4 hours ago, andythenorth said:

If that’s true that’s looking like a career wind-down or a passion move. The Lego Group (TLG) is a much bigger enterprise with a much stronger public brand 🙂

I think your down playing Hornby and up playing Lego.

Lego maybe bigger, but it carries much more management, your individual voice would be much smaller, unless your much higher up the tree… anyone working in a corporate would be infinitely familiar with this kind of greasy pole.

I’d imagine an individuals voice and contribution goes much further in Hornby than Lego

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by adb968008

[andythenorth]

9 hours ago, adb968008 said:

I think your down playing Hornby and up playing Lego

[deleted grumpy reply - not how Sunday should start]

Edited August 13, 2023 by andythenorth

[jjb1970]

I think one of the issues which has faced Hornby for many years is the cost pressure of carrying the overheads associated with a large(-ish) company when their competitors have much smaller business overheads and outsourcing production has eliminated the barrier to entry that kept smaller players out. Looking at Rapido, Cavalex, Accurascale and RevolutioN those companies all seem to have a small fraction of the corporate baggage Hornby is carrying and much smaller decision processes which allow them to be more flexible and responsive to the market. At one time producing tools, detailed technical design and manufacturing needed a major investment to develop and a lot of expensive expertise, now Chinese factories look after that (and they're extremely good at it). Hornby seems to be in that awkward middle of being too big to be small and too small to be big.

[adb968008]

40 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I think one of the issues which has faced Hornby for many years is the cost pressure of carrying the overheads associated with a large(-ish) company when their competitors have much smaller business overheads and outsourcing production has eliminated the barrier to entry that kept smaller players out. Looking at Rapido, Cavalex, Accurascale and RevolutioN those companies all seem to have a small fraction of the corporate baggage Hornby is carrying and much smaller decision processes which allow them to be more flexible and responsive to the market. At one time producing tools, detailed technical design and manufacturing needed a major investment to develop and a lot of expensive expertise, now Chinese factories look after that (and they're extremely good at it). Hornby seems to be in that awkward middle of being too big to be small and too small to be big.

I still have a Nokia mobile phone in my drawer too, from the days everything Nokia made was golden and unquestionable.

Edited August 13, 2023 by adb968008

[The Stationmaster]

20 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If it's the right person, there's a new name is now up in lights.

Chief Marketing Officer - previously Global Marketing Director for Lego.

 

Alex Mawer ?

 

 

. 

Yes - as others have already confirmed.  And good to see that (as I'd hoped the job role and scope  has definitely changed.  i read that as making sense in the light of the Report's comments about the way new projects will be addressed and costed in the brands  against market intelligence and profitability.

 

So I can see some interesting changes ahead at Hornby and that mightw ell extend to the model railway ranges which are in need of a good sort out to establish exactly what each range is both in. tself and in relation to the other ranges - especially Railroad and making some proper  sense of what the Hornby Dublo branding means.

[Drifter]

20 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If it's the right person, there's a new name is now up in lights.

Chief Marketing Officer - previously Global Marketing Director for Lego.

 

Alex Mawer ?

 

 

. 

I was very impressed until l read his profile. 
 

Not decrying his new role but might we now see a Hornby Theme Park? 1:1 tilting APT, Ghost Train, Scalextric merry go round, the list is endless. 

 

I wish him well.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, The Stationmaster said:

Yes - as others have already confirmed.  And good to see that (as I'd hoped the job role and scope  has definitely changed.  i read that as making sense in the light of the Report's comments about the way new projects will be addressed and costed in the brands  against market intelligence and profitability.

 

So I can see some interesting changes ahead at Hornby and that mightw ell extend to the model railway ranges which are in need of a good sort out to establish exactly what each range is both in. tself and in relation to the other ranges - especially Railroad and making some proper  sense of what the Hornby Dublo branding means.

Given Hornby repeat their commitment

to a capsule range, hopefully they can position and define current sub-brands across each of the 13 brands they own and create new ones where there’s a gap. 
 

Dublo and Railroad (or suitable replacement name) could be upper and lower model rail sub-brands respectively. I personally don’t see a future for Railroad Plus as it just blurs the boundary. 

The cheap sets (Coca Cola etc) can presumably be part of the new cheaper range and branded accordingly and aimed outside the core hobby to avoid harming the main brand. The details of the upcoming GWR HST set state that it’s a Railroad standard yet it isn’t branded as such. 
 

John Lewis currently sell 3 sets (excluding playtrains), the most expensive is Flying Scotsman at £220. I’m sure further savings could be found in the Red Rover type set, with £150 being an obvious target, which the GWR set RRP nearly matches. A simple steam loco set with a couple of coaches is an obvious gap in the train sets currently on offer.

[HExpressD]

3 minutes ago, Drifter said:

I was very impressed until l read his profile. 
 

Not decrying his new role but might we now see a Hornby Theme Park? 1:1 tilting APT, Ghost Train, Scalextric merry go round, the list is endless. 

 

I wish him well.

Bloody hell the blokes only been there for 5 minutes.

 

The level people are willing to dive into the personal lives of people at a company they are customers of is mindblowing to me, and in this hobby at least seems to be exclusive to Hornby for some reason.

[Widnes Model Centre]

3 hours ago, adb968008 said:

I still have a Nokia mobile phone in my drawer too, from the days everything Nokia made was golden and unquestionable.

Up to a few months ago l was still using mine. Just went dead, disappointed, only had it (quite) a few years.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Drifter said:

I was very impressed until l read his profile. 
 

Not decrying his new role but might we now see a Hornby Theme Park? 1:1 tilting APT, Ghost Train, Scalextric merry go round, the list is endless. 

 

I wish him well.

Think less Legoland Theme Park and more Legoland Discovery, as can be found at Trafford Park & Birmingham arena by the Sealife Centre. Something between that and something  aimed at new modellers (as implied by Hornby’s call for interest for modellers at Margate) maybe.    

Edited August 13, 2023 by Guest
correcting auto complete error

[BachelorBoy]

5 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I think one of the issues which has faced Hornby for many years is the cost pressure of carrying the overheads associated with a large(-ish) company when their competitors have much smaller business overheads and outsourcing production has eliminated the barrier to entry that kept smaller players out. Looking at Rapido, Cavalex, Accurascale and RevolutioN those companies all seem to have a small fraction of the corporate baggage Hornby is carrying and much smaller decision processes which allow them to be more flexible and responsive to the market. At one time producing tools, detailed technical design and manufacturing needed a major investment to develop and a lot of expensive expertise, now Chinese factories look after that (and they're extremely good at it). Hornby seems to be in that awkward middle of being too big to be small and too small to be big.

 

It seems to me that Hornby, even after a few decades, struggles with outsourcing to China. Quality is not consistent. It's not great at dealing retailers and customers either. Profits are elusive too. 

 

As people sometimes point out, Hornby is more than model railways -- especially since it's bought 25% of Warlord Games and has an option to buy it entirely. 

 

But Hornby is the best brand name in British railway modelling.

 

So why not just try to sell the brand name (and perhaps all the minor continental brands), and all the moulds. to a company in China that makes its own stuff in its own factories, but doesn't have such a good brand name?

 

(Hornby's share price is so low at the moment that the company's stock market value is LESS than the book value of all the assets. In other words, Hornby is worth more dead than alive.  You could in theory buy Hornby and sell off all the assets and make a profit. The current management is SUBTRACTING value.)

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by BachelorBoy
removed superfluous space

[The Stationmaster]

22 hours ago, BachelorBoy said:

 

It seems to me that Hornby, even after a few decades, struggles with outsourcing to China. Quality is not consistent. It's not great at dealing retailers and customers either. Profits are elusive too. 

 

As people sometimes point out, Hornby is more than model railways -- especially since it's bought 25% of Warlord Games and has an option to buy it entirely. 

 

But Hornby is the best brand name in British railway modelling.

 

So why not just try to sell the brand name (and perhaps all the minor continental brands), and all the moulds. to a company in China that makes its own stuff in its own factories, but doesn't have such a good brand name?

 

(Hornby's share price is so low at the moment that the company's stock market value is LESS than the book value of all the assets. In other words, Hornby is worth more dead than alive.  You could in theory buy Hornby and sell off all the assets and make a profit. The current management is SUBTRACTING value.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a matter of fact if you look at the share price and the way it has gone this year it was the previous management which has subtracted value as all the main drops in share price align with announcements of various parts of last year's results

Edited August 14, 2023 by The Stationmaster
typos

[Clearwater]

20 hours ago, andythenorth said:

If that’s true that’s looking like a career wind-down or a passion move. The Lego Group (TLG) is a much bigger enterprise with a much stronger public brand 🙂

Depends.  Could be.  Could also be a situation where if he thinks if he has the right stock option package and there’s a possibility of using his visitor attraction skills to create something, then he might be seeing a very large personal upside.