Lack of Airfix on Sale Xmas 2018

[Marto]

Am quite concerned that I've not seen Airfix or Hornby model for sale anywhere but Model Shops (and Hobbycraft) this Christmas in the UK, likewise Scaletrix.   

 

Like others here in the Hornby community (Airfix, Hornby, Corgi etc), we are depedant on Horby to shift units to stay viable and most, if not all retailers generate most income now. Lets not forget how tight things have been within the company. 

 

I got into modelling in the 80s by being given a Matchbox P-47 for Christmas in NZ which my grandma brought from a local bookshop, yet when I visit the UK's main shopping stores there are no Hornby products of any kind to get young boys and girls keen on modelling and minitures, which wil have dire consequences for us all in the long and short term (how many models will you realistically stash away of the new Hellcat etc?)

 

Thoughts?

[T2B]

It must be over 20yrs, maybe even 30yrs since Airfix or Matchbox kits were in every corner shop, newsagent or larger department store! When I was younger I remember being able yo get a small series 1 or 2 kit in almost any shop, or when on holiday made for the nearest Woolworths to get a larger selection! But now model kits (apart from rare promotion kits in Aldi or Lidl) seem only to be available in dedicated model shops!

 

After a relative lean year for new tools last year, I think if Airfix have invested in the new large Hellcat then they must feel confident in their financial position, so I'm not overly concerned and I'm looking forward to what may come next!!

[Ratch]

Many folks shop on line these days - a lot of my purchases are on line. I know what I'm looking for, where to look and what the right price is, and its delivered to my door.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

I do find that models and plastic kits are getting harder to find in High Street shops. More or less, one can only really find these in model shops. Hobbycraft do stock Airfix products. Hobbycraft  used to be well stocked of Hornby products. They provided a good choice. They didn't sell everything, that was in production, but they had a good selection. This going back 10 years ago or more. Then not long after they cut it down to sell the odd Train Set and now they don't stock Hornby at all.

 

GNR-Gordon-4

[Shteve]

I can't speak for the past as I've only recently got hooked on the Hobby. But what I will tell you is I found my first kits in a place where I wasn't looking for them, in fact I didn't even know what they were. I was doing my weekly shop in Lidl. There were a few starter kits for £4.99. a 1/72 Spitfire with glue, paints and a brush. It seemed good value and not too much for an impulse buy. I enjoyed building it far too much (as a 26 year old I feel I should know better) and became instantly hooked so returned to buy a japanese zero. Within a week the big pile had all sold out and I had to try 3 other stores before I found any left in stock. That was last year and I've noticed both Aldi and Lidl are stocking the same kits this year too. Obviously I bought more and as I was checking out the guy serving me said he was going to get one before his shift was over because he missed out the year before as they'd sold out in a day! So I can tell you from my own experience that they are stocked in shops other than dedicated model shops and definitely are reaching new customers. Maybe not to the same extent of years past but a glimmer of hope maybe. 

[LeonF]

Kits are out there, just not always where you expect or in decent numbers.

 

Up until recently (within the last year) I've heard of kits on sale in Aldi, Lidl, Sainsburys, Debenhams, B&M TKMaxx, Hobbycraft, The Works, 'gadget shops' (I forget the names but there's 2 in my city centre), and available not only in my local Model/Hobby shop but also RC and Railway oriented shops too. On top of this there's museum shops and other heritage sites that I've heard hold varying amounts.

I'm also lucky in having a market stall with pre-owned kits and have also seen several in charity shops and carboot sales. 

 

Many of these however are of the low volume sales type and you may not be in all stores all the time - eg Aldi are essentially for 1 week only, TheWorks are very store dependent, and TKMaxx are almost random.

 

What has disappeared is the longer term mass sell-off of cheap stock as Hornby have cut back on the concessions and wholesale deals. Even my local Hobby Shop seems to have fewer offers. They still have a dedicated bench with a selection of reduced kits and a display shelf for larger individual boxes on offer, but stumbling across markdowns on the main shelves is becoming rare. 

[NWR-Gordon-4]

But what I will tell you is I found my first kits in a place where I wasn't looking for them, in fact I didn't even know what they were. I was doing my weekly shop in Lidl. There were a few starter kits for £4.99. a 1/72 Spitfire with glue, paints and a brush. It seemed good value and not too much for an impulse buy.

 

The reason why you found those two kits in Lidl, becuase for one week only, Hornby Hobbies (The owner of the Airfix brand) had set-up some one-off deal with Lidl to sell two Airfix kits and Hornby train set, all to be exclusive to Lidl only. This happend a few weeks back, for one week only, while stocks last! I am unsure if anything from the Corgi and Scalextric brands were sold at Lidl, in that week.

 

GNR-Gordon-4

[Kitmick]

Ah yes been many a year since I used to cycle down to my local newsagent and pick up a Heller kit. There was also a model shop on the same row of shops that stocked Airfix and Matchbox kits. This closed down when I was around Ten. There was a model shop in the Staines Emsleigh centre for many years. I popped in to pickup some paints etc and was shocked to see a sign saying closing today on the window. That left Gamleys who had a large range of kits, paints etc until they closed down after being brought out I believe by The entertainer. I buy mostly of the internet now. 

[Marto]

All the above only highlights my point.  Nothing in Tesco, Sainsburys, The entertainer, Smyths, Argos, Toys R Us (before it went bust) etc.  These are the shops where you'd expect to see something, esecpially this time of year, and yet there is nothing. 

 

Aldi/Lidl etc do not count as they were one-off sale items and I've never seen an Airfix in The Works on my travels around the UK.

 

Ratch, the internet is for the penny pinching/serious model maker, not a child interested in bying his/her first model or a parent buying a stocking filler; the sorts of sales that keep Hornby as a company viable.

[Ratch]

I've never heard of Airfix in Tesco, Sainsburys, or The entertainer, Toys R Us have closed. Argos is going bust and closing and Smyths have not carried kits for a few years. Its the state of the high street I'm afraid. Town centres are being abandonned for out of town shopping centres and on-line shopping. Kids today are savvy on t'internet.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Argos isn't going bust Ratch. What makes you say that? Sainsbury's bought Argos a couple of years ago and Argos stores are closing, moving into Sainsbury's supermarkets. Argos Extra in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK has recently closed, but has moved into the Sainsbury's (As standard Argos) around the corner, in a different retail park, to where it used to be in another retail park.

 

GNR-Gordon-4

[Ratch]

The Argos nearest to me has shut. If they're going into Sainsburys stores then they are just a part of Sainsburys and not an independant trader. Like many other high street stores who have moved into a parent premesis, they no longer occupy a place in the high street.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Argos has been subsidiary of Sainsbury’s since whenever Sainsbury’s purchased Argos. True, Argos is no longer an independent trader, but at least Argos won’t be going bust. They could be or could have done though, if Sainsbury’s didn’t purchase them, a few years back.

 

GNR-Gordon-4

[DavidJC]

We're drifting off topic a bit, but my understanding is that Argos (even if Sainsbury's might even own Argos) are moving in to Sainsbury's stores , but only in the manner of post offices moving in to branches of W H Smith or the Co-op etc. They are all different and independent entities but presumably it's all part of a symbiotic relationship.

[peebeep]

To get back a little on topic, I would suggest that Airfix have pushed out all available stock to their retailers. That's the way it works now, they don't stockpile, as soon as stuff arrives it gets distributed asap and none, or very little is held in storage. If you're looking to buy Airfix and don't have a local retailer who can supply, then get looking online, or on their own website. 

[StuartN]

The problem is even worse here in Australia, where postage rates are way too high to buy things online, sometimes more than the model itself. Although I live in a regional area, there are two brilliant hobby shops. They are definitely not close to going out of business, however there is practically no stock. Not just Airfix, but nearly all brands. What were normally long lines of shelves with nearly every kit imaginable stacked on them are sparsely populated by its injection-moulded inhabitants.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Stuart N, even if one lives in Australia and buys something from an website in Australia, the postage can still be high and in some cases cost more than the product?

 

GNR-Gordon-4

[Black major]

High street models 

Local dedicated store , works (if stocked)

Certain toy masters, entertainer (revell) (if stocked), bout it now..

Out of town

Hobbycraft (but far smaller amount),range/bnm/homebargins ,do have some when Hornby do a deal .

Aldi/Lydil again special produced stock deal..

Other retailers have had kits from time to time but not as often.

I agree sales have been poor, same stock same rough price different sales times..

Now in my home town .

Hobbycraft -very poor range,and a small rc shop with a few kits...

As a child in home town..

2 dedicated model shops ,3 big toy shops with a good range , old Woolworths.plus newsagents full of matchbox kits !!!

Sad days.... now 

[edwardyn]

Do you purchase them at full price or on sale? Because I'm broke, I like to buy those items at a discount, haha. Joking. Buying products on sale and at half the price is far more enjoyable than paying full price. I usually look for discount coupons on websites like https://www.dontpayfull.com. And, yes, I agree with everyone that purchasing Airfix and Hornby is far more difficult and unpleasant. Maybe some of you are familiar with similar alternatives? Or perhaps something far superior?