ellocoloco Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Great to see the positive news out today regarding Hornby. Long may it continue and I look forward to many more great models being announced. For me the Electrotren 596 will be my next acquisition and I know many will be waiting for the likes of the APT, W1 and others. Its unfortunate that it has taken a global pandemic to rekindle an interest for many in the hobby and hopefully this interest will remain as we go forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDS Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Yes, great news for us all and especially those at Hornby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilsby Tnl Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 When was the last time that Hornby made a profit this is great news for them and model railway enthusiasts in this country, long may it continue. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Lots of companies have done well since Covid, Screwfix and Dunelm to name but two. They have payed back the furlough money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger1707821911 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Good... I,m pleased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alasdair59 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Yes good news indeed. I retired a few years ago and built a hobby room in the back garden as my wife chucked me out of the spare bedroom!!! My layout is nowhere near finished (!!!) but.....I got my triang sets out of the attic last week and am now doing a smaller layout first with that, although I have bought new track. My first set was a Jinty R52 plus several Battle Space items, plus a Davy Crockett loco.My lockdown this year has allowed me more time to get on with my layouts and it also means more spending, although we'll see how long it takes my wife to notice that.........Every cloud has a silver lining, so to speak. Stay safe folks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffed Out Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 While I am very pleased that the Hornby group are having some success at last, I was one of those who was bored in the lock down, and took up doing a layout and buying Hornby stuff mostly. Yes, there experienced modellers and collectors, this flu virus has been a blessing in disguise for the Hornby group and other companies. Is this just a 'blip' in retail sales, as it's non essential goods. Will this just fall away when things get back to some sort of normality. New fine detailed models aren't for everyone(the price), even though in an earlier press release, it was said ....'Hornby is not a toy company'.......which it clearly is for a majority of customers. Can these sales be maintained.But how many 'newbies' will stay the course or fall away from modelling and collecting. Very good luck to the Hornby group, and hope they are successful for years and years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR 14xx Tank Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Great news for Hornby, hopefully lots more interesting and innovative new products will be on the market soon. @ellocolocoAgreed. The fact that it takes a global issue to rekindle interest in a hobby and company is a shame, although that just shows there are positives in (mostly) everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 I hate to put a "downer" on things, although Hornby made a profit £200,000 it is not a lot for a company the size of Hornby. It is great that they are making a profit but for them this is probably a "once in a lifetime" opportunity. As for Angry man's comments, I too agree with the issue of quality and lack of spares. We should all now know how much a motor actually costs if you look at EBay and Sam's trains, so why Hornby cannot source them, is a lost opportunity. Looking at EBay we can see that they are charging at least 10 times what the Chinese are selling them for on EBay and by all accounts they are the same motor, I did the same as Sam. Just remember if they have a decent buyer they are paying a fraction of that price advertised on EBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 But Hornby isn't a big company, big name but not a big company. Try and look on the bright side instead of gloom and doom. 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Nop, just being practical. I would have said it is a medium sized company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDR Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Are we sure the success is all down to Covid? Hornby has capitalised on their 100th Anniversary this year with an exciting range of special products, By all accounts these have all sold very well. With so much bad news in other sectors it is reassuring to hear some pleasant stuff. Yes they could do better with quality control. I am hoping that next year will bring us some more good models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 I think any positive news is great news - glad the hobby is persevering and prospering in the current gloom and doom of COVID. There are some fantastic models available now, with more to come - exciting times!! Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Nop, just being practical. I would have said it is a medium sized company.Could be. About 160 employees, small to medium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyMac1707817969 Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Must also be helped by the fact that many models seem to be arriving into stock 1 to 2 months before the anticipated delivery date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia998 Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 If the quality is so bad, why are they making a profit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 Is the quality so bad? I have never thought so. A lot of issues are due to bad running and handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry man Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 If the quality is so bad, why are they making a profit!Increased turnover (33% according to article), increased selling price and lower costs due to Covid ie,premises closed, services reduced, staff sacked (contract labour) or furlowed at UK taxpayers expense. In addition I have been advised by a retailer that Hornby have issued new Terms and Conditions that prevent heavy discounting of the Hornby product. More good news for the long suffering customer! Finally, the fiscal year runs April to April so to put the “profit statement” in context, it is for only half a fiscal year and that whole period started and continued during the period most affected by Covid 19. Furthermore, polymer prices in China were very low but reached an all time high in March and continue to do so. This will reflect Hornbies manufacturing costs and other costs will rise during periods three and four so I will be interested to see the figures submitted to companies house in April. I hope this answers your question. Whole volumes have been written on fiscal management. Companies making bad product can make a profit, sustainability is another issue.Hornby are masters of PR and looking at the press release Airfix and Humbrol but not model railways are mentioned. You would appear to be a loyal Hornby customer Anglia998. I have been for more than fifty years but in my opinion there Is serious mismanagement at the highest level and for me, enough is enough. I have considerable regard for Hornby employees at Hersden and Margate who in my experience try very hard to please the likes of you and I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 Why on earth cant people just be happy for them, as they continue to produce the models we love. Who cares, how/ why it happened. Why disect to the nth degree.. If you dont like the range, dont bother to buy them. There are more than enough of us who do.. Lord preserve us from doubting Thomases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 God almighty what a miserable lot of people there are on here. Supposed to be a model railway forum. I came back on here after a break of about 5 months. Don't know why I bothered. Hope all of you enjoy your trains and those who relish the miserable side of life enjoy that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 Well i am pleased at least one person enjoyed the analytical analysis. I did not. Nor have i any interest in why Rails stopped dealings. I have 11 TTS locos, all as perfect as the day they arrived.. As you said, lets stick to supporting Hornby, and helping fellow modellers with their problems. There are plenty of other forums where such detailed comments may be of interest. Once a post starts knocking Hornby, i stop reading it,. You can see why we are losing experienced members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 You are very lucky yelrow, I too have many TTS locos and a lot of them have had issues, as have many members on this site. Have you not read the one about my TTS loco bought from new, that loses sound after about two circuits of my layout. Yes it is an exception, but from what I gather there are lots of others that do the same. In the last year I must have bought ten or more locos off Hornby plus many more TTS decoders, so I can't think that they are so bad. I just try to be realistic. I am sorry you are not interested in Rails, but I am sure there are are other people that are.I personally bought a lot of Hornby locos from them. I suspect there are other reasons people are leaving this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 There is a common theme as to why the many more experienced and mature members have left this forum over the years. They cannot put up with the (long incomplete list in no particular order) - constant whingers - the childish/immature (although we do have genuine junior members and their parents) - Hornby knockers - those who have been there done that didn’t work (but when I eventually followed the advice given and did it properly it did work) - one post wonders that never come back to acknowledge help given - know alls who obviously didn’t need our help in the first place - doom and gloom merchants - finger trouble but won’t admit it - those moaning at the forum instead of taking the matter up with either the retailer or the manufacturer direct - it goes on and on. The fact that these types of members are still posting makes me wonder why they chose this forum in the first place. Outwith my psycho-analitical skill set. On the positive side what we do have is several fountains of knowledge who do a lot of research in their own time for the benefit of those requiring advice. We also have some superb photographers and layout builders. It is your forum guys so be positive about the product and the group, else maybe you are in the wrong forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelrow Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 I could not have put it better, Rob. Shorter perhaps, but might have been a tad forthright. Lets use the skill set of the guys we have rather than drive them away. There is a program i watch called Mountain men, where , Eustace, realising, he would be taking his vast experience, to the grave,, found a young man , whom he could teach and impart his vast knowledge to, before it was lost. We have, such guys on here, and we need to hang on to them, extracting knowledge, of Triang/ wren/ Hornby Dublo, etc, where repairs can be undertaken, and parts obtained. i know, by external contact, that constantly knocking horby, is causing them , irritation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The son of Triangman Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 It's good to see Hornby making a profit again. Yes there have been quality issues on some items such as the limited edition centenary rocket set, and yes Hornby isn't British anymore in the true sense of the word, but generally they are riding the crest of a wave and the new releases are showing the hobby off more to those looking at joining the hobby. People aren't going out so much due to things worldwide, so traditional hobbies are making a comeback, long may a return to traditional hobbies continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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