Trains4U

Didn’t Jouef make the Fobbi trains? (whose TGV I picked up in Cherbourg Continent hypermarket back in 1985)

It is probably worth noting that Hornby handle enterprise level business separately from independent retail business Tesco, Lidl, Argos and John Lewis are not going to be tiered... These are huge contracts. Hornby probably sell more flying Scotsman train sets to Argos than all sets of all descriptions to all the independent retailers combined. And do you know what, I’m more than happy for that to continue. If a chance purchase of a train set in a large multiple sparks an interest, then I can look forward to the potential lifetime of follow up sales. I got my first train set from a supermarket (a French one at that!) but it was my local model shops that benefited in the long term.

It has been done already

I can’t imagine that would be the case. Otherwise how would any new startup manage. It is more likely that they wouldn’t extend credit facilities that the previous owner enjoyed, which can make restocking tricky if you don’t have the cash on hand.

I'm pleased that Hornby have released this. It takes a degree of pressure off in terms of having to explain things (or not) to customers. But I would like to head off any "The retailers should have known" responses... Hornby did issue a statement about Tier systems back in late January (After the previews) - However, this was very much geared towards the level of support that Hornby will provide (such as frequency of rep visits, access to point of sale materials, inclusion in advertising etc). There was no mention at all of ordering restrictions, and whilst it seemed it would have an impact on some retailers, particularly the smallest or online only in terms of manufacturer support, it didn't represent a significant change (to us at least). The information on page 1 of this thread is entirely new and is exactly how we retailers received it at the beginning of May. It is a significant addendum to the tiering system described in January and came as a bit of a shock. This communication was received well after (And probably in response to) the order amendments, cancellations and subsequent furore that erupted over the early may bank holiday. None of us were aware of this detail, the rationale behind it or the full implications before the 4th May.

The trouble with Aladdin’s caves is that they attract too many Aladdin types... chrome and spotlights are usually combined with secure displays.

Nobody wants to see that, trust me.

You can't argue with that logic! As individual retailers, we have been informed of our status, but there is no published list (as of today) It could be quite divisive if revealed, which is why it probably won't be.

Respectfully, I disagree, particularly if it is your livelihood, or if you are one of the 60 staff employed by Hattons...

OK, against my better judgement, I'll bite... Hornby have communicated with their retailers. We have all been made aware of the situation and the conditions attached to it. However, any future cancellations are unknown - we are staring through an opaque window. I have seen some minor adjustments, other retailers have suffered more drastic cuts, others still have had little if no impact. There is no obvious logic to the pattern of cuts. I do not believe that the communication is for public consumption. I will not put it out and who will? Which retailer is brave enough to attract the ire of their (Probably) biggest supplier? Which publication is prepared to upset a key advertiser? When you see big retailers being cut off for unknown and unpublished reasons, it is not necessarily a good idea to place oneself in the spotlight. Don't expect to see a full and open explanation any time soon.

Interesting, but Hattons are still not listed by Bachmann as an official stockist, and lots of those items are new old stock and haven't been available for a long time. I wonder if another retailer has "Done a swap", or offloaded an excess of stock. It's been done before.

I’ve got my order in already!

I’d have suggested bank transfer or Western Union myself...

I don’t think it was ever “policy”, more an observation. I ordered a handful of GT3s at early buy prices and am selling them at retail price, which nets us a modest margin. I consequently had a discussion with Keith about forthcoming products and we now have an arrangement for most of those products based on reasonable expectations of a business like KR Models.

Thanks Dan yes we do have some GT3s in stock They are available in-store only and not online at present. We have ordered the Consett wagons and will also be placing orders for the Fell and Leader (these will be made available online once received) I look forward to the new products arriving in due course, and a fruitful relationship with Keith and KR Models.

Woodwalton church, present day, when the sun is shining.

I agree. However, there is a cost in doing this in terms of trust and perception as a supplier. If a supplier is perceived as risky, dare I say, unreliable, then customers will naturally look to reduce exposure to that risk. There is a much, much bigger picture here than just the shiny new-release trains. There are lots of manufacturers, especially of paint, plastic kits, slot cars, track, scenic materials and control systems as well as rolling stock who are almost literally falling over themselves to sell stuff to the retail trade and grow their market share. If Hornby make it hard to spend money with them, or start upsetting their loyal retail customers (And most of us genuinely are loyal), they run the risk of the retailers actively diversifying and consequently of Hornby losing a proportion of the overall business, especially for consumables and replenishment spend. Surely that risk must be recognised in the context of the broader income stream for Hornby? (I ask this, as it feels as though it really isn't)

The Pandemic did cause a paradigm shift in online ordering. One could be fooled into thinking that there is a big market to be tapped, and that if this is the new normal, then online retail is the way to go. However... Since lockdown eased, my online sales have dropped back to pre-lockdown levels, but walk-in trade is doubled. The "New Normal" is not the new normal at all. There is currently a very different pattern of trade, a much more local pattern. If "Other online platforms" are seeing the same effect, then they may have a bit of a shock in the coming months if their trade has also dried up, especially if they have invested heavily and gambled on the post-pandemic world being an online one.

I can't speak for the others, but Trains4U is a destination model shop, not a box shifter and mail order is a surprisingly small part of our business.

And here is where we have a disconnect, the management that rubbished the previous management are themselves previous management. The board has largely (if not completely) changed again since the “great reversal” on the 6th December 2016. I don’t believe there is much, if any collectively retained experience or memory of the actions of the 2012-2016 board and their consequences.

We had some downward adjustments on the DVT and a W1, but not complete cancellations. I anticipate other products will be similarly affected over the coming months. most retailers are affected to some degree. I’m hoping that Hornby might issue a public statement at some point soon.

Try broadening your search... we have all versions (inc sound) in stock with the usual 15% off RRP

Matt, our in-house weathering expert has been performing his magic on some Accurascale PTAs I’m sure you will agree the results are stunning. available for £199.95 per pack of 5. http://www.trains4u.com/c/518/Matt-Finish-Weathering ARC wagons are following.

Whenever there have been production or transport delays in the past, we have been told about them. I get the overall impression that whilst they don’t want to lie to us, they also don’t want to tell the truth as it is probably unpalatable. The shutters have come down. I did recently pose the question to someone from Hornby about order skimming and that there was a perception that orders were being cut to feed their own website and I was told that they really can’t talk about it. A “cannot confirm or deny” response. I’d just like to add, in respect to the suppositions above regarding ordering patterns and retailer actions. we, and a good number of other retailers I’ve spoken with, have done nothing different to previous years. If anything orders have been a little more cautious given the uncertainty of lockdown when orders were placed in January.

And it continues...