Flying Snail Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Some sad news announced today by Hattons https://www.hattons.co.uk/newsdetail?id=1498 I for one will miss them - they really did a lot to try to support Irish customers post Brexit and I thought their trunk was a great service! 4 3 4 4 Quote
Galteemore Posted January 8 Posted January 8 The CIE coaches will be produced btw - the company is not insolvent and is closing down in an orderly way. 4 2 Quote
Flying Snail Posted January 8 Author Posted January 8 (edited) They've stated that its going to be an orderly wind down (i.e. they're not insolvent and haven't yet ceased trading). Also, Batch 2 Genesis coaches WILL be produced and released as announced - that includes the CIE coaches Edit: post crossed with Galteemore above Edited January 8 by Flying Snail 2 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Always sad to hear this kind of news - they have been very good to their customers and I will look forward to receiving my Genesis coaches. 2 1 Quote
amdaley Posted January 8 Posted January 8 (edited) That's very sad to hear. If a company like Hattons can't continue then what hope have other smaller concerns. Been in business a very long time. I was purchasing from them back when they used brown paper & string. I'd say Brexit has screwed them as it has a lot of other British companies. Their website seems to be down at the minute ? Edited January 8 by amdaley 1 6 Quote
Flying Snail Posted January 8 Author Posted January 8 17 minutes ago, amdaley said: Their website seems to be down at the minute ? They've announced a closing down sale too, so I wouldn't be surprised if its been swamped by a large amount of traffic as the news filters out 2 Quote
leslie10646 Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Hhmmm, started the same year I did! Look at my "Username". They clearly state Brexit as a reason - Well I marched against it and I hope to be a party to replacing one of the gentlemen who supported it with a good Liberal Democrat at the next election. Michael Gove, in case you're trying to guess! 9 2 Quote
amdaley Posted January 8 Posted January 8 22 minutes ago, leslie10646 said: Hhmmm, started the same year I did! Look at my "Username". They clearly state Brexit as a reason - Well I marched against it and I hope to be a party to replacing one of the gentlemen who supported it with a good Liberal Democrat at the next election. Michael Gove, in case you're trying to guess! Gove the back stabber. A weasel if there ever was one I've been trading with Hattons since the late sixties. 1 Quote
irishmail Posted January 8 Posted January 8 (edited) Very sad news indeed. Disapointing for us modellers not living in the UK as they were very effiecent with thier service despite the hassle of 'Brexit'!! Also would like to say that Hatton's customer service was/is first class as when I have had any issues with orders they were sorted out very quickly. Like many of us who live 'overseas' they were indeed our 'Local' model shop. Edited January 8 by irishmail 7 3 Quote
Westcorkrailway Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Awful news. Hattons are by far in a way the best company I have ever dealt with in terms of models. Including the CIE genisis coach affair. Which looks like it will be the first and last venture in the Irish market. I look at years previous where particularly on battles with other companies in the sphere. What a shame. 1 1 Quote
ttc0169 Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Sad news alright-I visited their shop on Smithdown road on a few occasions-a lovely shop-Brexit didn’t help them 5 Quote
Bob229 Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Shocked by the news, bought lots of railway and other items from them great selection of stock, also sold items to them great service even with brexit and the trunk service was very good, a difficult time for the Hattons staff 5 Quote
patrick Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Sad news. I always got great service from them and their postage rates to the US were unbeatable. 2 1 Quote
Darrman Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Bad news all around. I hadn't pre-ordered any CIE coaches in the hope I could possibly buy them on release: I don't see that looking too likely now. Should I pre-order a few of the remaining coaches now? It's an orderly shutdown, but they are shutting down. 2 Quote
The Derry Road Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Saddened to hear Hattons are closing down. I've dealt with them since 1978 when I bought my first point and electric point motor from them and had many, many orders since, they'll be missed. TDR 1 Quote
GSR 800 Posted January 8 Posted January 8 (edited) This is simply awful news. Truly a blow to the hobby as a whole. I've dealt with them countless times, their service has always been above and beyond, with perhaps the most reliable postage and best packaging from any company, alongside IRM. Edited January 8 by GSR 800 1 2 Quote
Darrman Posted January 8 Posted January 8 56 minutes ago, Darrman said: Should I pre-order a few of the remaining coaches now? It's an orderly shutdown, but they are shutting down. In the end, I just went for it: pre-ordering items is free. Again, a sad day for railway modelling. 1 2 Quote
Mayner Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Changing times a good example of management having the foresight 'to get out while the going is good" with reduced market share as an increasing proportion of customers buy on line from the manufacturer and increased overheads (commercial rates and accounting for VAT on EU & overseas sales). The expectation for retailers to account for VAT/GST on overseas sales as a result of tax harmonisation laws intended to recover loss in VAT revenue from overseas on-line sales, may have been a greater factor than Brexit. Tax harmonisation laws rather than Brexit lead to the Irish Revenue and An Post upgrading their IT systems in order to collect VAT on relatively low value imports which previously cost more to collect than they earned in Vat, we had a similar system in New Zealand where Customs did not collect VAT/GST on items below a certain value. One of our local specialist model railway retailers used to complain bitterly about modellers buying models direct from overseas without paying tax! I seldom bought from Hattons as they were a bit too mainstream for my interest tending to by the occasional rtr item or detail parts from Rails. The closure of Hattons is more a symptom of change in the model railway hobby as a result of the greater shift to Far Eastern RTR manufacture and direct on line sales by Manufacturers and Comissioners that has largely contributed to the demise of small specialist manufacturers and the specialist 'model railway shop' Locally hobby shops only stock Hornby and Peco the majority of British outline modellers source their models direct from the UK, American outline modellers from the States. "Interesting times" as they say 3 2 Quote
jhb171achill Posted January 8 Posted January 8 59 minutes ago, Darrman said: In the end, I just went for it: pre-ordering items is free. Again, a sad day for railway modelling. 2 hours ago, Darrman said: Bad news all around. I hadn't pre-ordered any CIE coaches in the hope I could possibly buy them on release: I don't see that looking too likely now. Should I pre-order a few of the remaining coaches now? It's an orderly shutdown, but they are shutting down. Yes, I definitely would. They are apparently going ahead with the CIE stock; phew! Just in time. Bang goes any chance of a further issue of DNGR and GSR liveried ones, though. 2 hours ago, amdaley said: Gove the back stabber. A weasel if there ever was one I've been trading with Hattons since the late sixties. Now, that's not nice to weasels........... 3 hours ago, leslie10646 said: Hhmmm, started the same year I did! Look at my "Username". They clearly state Brexit as a reason - Well I marched against it and I hope to be a party to replacing one of the gentlemen who supported it with a good Liberal Democrat at the next election. Michael Gove, in case you're trying to guess! Well done. Leslie! Totally agree. 1 Quote
Flying Snail Posted January 8 Author Posted January 8 Still trying to process the news. I never saw it coming: they have one of the best websites I've come across in the hobby, innovated with services like the trunk and their own range of models, had excellent customer service (their staff were always a pleasure to deal with and very helpful). They will be sorely missed. Now my thoughts are beginning to turn to my of pre-orders - I'm happy that my CIE Genesis carriages will be delivered but I also have items from other manufacturers including Corgi, Hornby and Rapido. Hattons have provided links to the manufacturers as well as to directing people with pre-orders to retailers like Rails of Sheffield. As I'm based in the Republic, I'm still a bit unsure of whats the best options for me so I'll be keeping an eye out for advice from manufacturers and those other retailers. With that in mind, I must say I think Accurascale did a good job this evening with their email to customers. It was very respectful and considerate towards Hattons and its staff (who are facing into an uncertain future) while providing reassurance regarding warranties and pre-orders of Accurascale items. 3 Quote
DJ Dangerous Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Wow, such sad news. Hatton's have been a wonderful resource for so many of us, despite the begrudgers calling them box-shifters and wishing them ill will over the years. I wonder why they opted to close completely instead of going online-only and tweaking their business model. Hopefully they keep their website live, even on a subscription-only basis, as an archive of the hobby. Talk about fall of the titans... Hatton's today, IRM tomorrow??? 1 Quote
Noel Posted January 8 Posted January 8 Really sorry to hear this news. Benefited from their excellent customer service and warranty over the years. They had been a great source for track, electrics and rolling stock. Changing times. I understand the Irish Genesis 6 wheelers will proceed as this is a wind down rather than insolvency. They will be missed by many. They brought customer service to a new level in what had been a rather backward and conservative market. 5 Quote
StevieB Posted January 8 Posted January 8 It would appear to be not just the UK government that is to blame for the decision to throw in the towel. A sad day indeed. Stephen Quote
Ironroad Posted January 9 Posted January 9 This is tragic and sad news. An institution in the model trade and the very best retailer in the business with customer service second to none. I well remember visiting the shop on Smithdown Rd as far back as 1963 and eagerly reviewing their monthly listings received via the post (produced on a Gestetner duplicating machine) long before the internet, such was their vision. I'm shocked and will miss the convenience of shopping there. They were a one stop shop for a very wide and comprehensive range of mainstream products (with the best shipping rates) and that is something all of us should keep in mind when we choose to bypass a store like this and buy online directly from a manufacturer. 2 Quote
Mayner Posted January 9 Posted January 9 (edited) Just part of the contraction of retail from the high street shop to the retail park to the giant out of town "Fulfilment Centres" and direct sales from manufacturer to customer cutting out the middleman. Hattons are not the first large model railway mail order house to go to London institutions W & H (Model Railways) New Cavendish St and Model Railway Manufacturing (Kings Cross) both stocked a wider variety of rtr and kits than Hattons both went out of business during the early 90s although they traded successfully for many years. Both were regular haunts when I lived in London in the late 80s W&Hs business seemed to be mainly mail order, while the Kings Cross shop was usually crowded with customers on a Saturday. Fundamental change in the hobby during the last 30 years, British outline rtr was dominated by Hornby with Lima the primary competitor as retailers struggled to clear unsold large stocks of Mainline/Airfix/GMR locos/coaches and wagons in stock since the late 70s. Bachmann had not yet made its entry to the UK market with re-tooled Mainline locos and stock. 30 years ago Murphy Models and IRM producing accurate models of Irish locos and stock would have been considered a pipe dream, let alone several rtr manufacturers and commissioners competing for the British outline merket. Edited January 9 by Mayner 8 Quote
NIRCLASS80 Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Plus the fall out with Bachmann over the Class 66 must have had a big effect on turnover. Like or loathe Bachmann, they are a big player in the UK model railway market 1 Quote
David Holman Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Always sad to see institutions like this go, especially as it is because of the B word. There are still a few big guns around, if the adverts in Railway Modeller are to be believed, not least Kernow, who have been expanding of late. Something that is also very noticeable is the rise of the "We buy your model railway" concerns, which shows how the second hand trade is booming and there are a few folk happy to buy up stuff to sell on. Mind you, when you look at the cost of brand new, that is hardly surprising. As a builder, rather than a buyer of rtr, the loss of folk selling components is just as worrying. Maplin was the easy go to for electrical bits and pieces, while the gap left by Eileen's still hasn't been filled. As for getting hold of fine metal strip, it is becoming almost impossible without going on line. Such is progress... 3 3 Quote
Georgeconna Posted January 9 Posted January 9 1 hour ago, David Holman said: Always sad to see institutions like this go, especially as it is because of the B word. There are still a few big guns around, if the adverts in Railway Modeller are to be believed, not least Kernow, who have been expanding of late. Something that is also very noticeable is the rise of the "We buy your model railway" concerns, which shows how the second hand trade is booming and there are a few folk happy to buy up stuff to sell on. Mind you, when you look at the cost of brand new, that is hardly surprising. As a builder, rather than a buyer of rtr, the loss of folk selling components is just as worrying. Maplin was the easy go to for electrical bits and pieces, while the gap left by Eileen's still hasn't been filled. As for getting hold of fine metal strip, it is becoming almost impossible without going on line. Such is progress... Really Tough about Hattons., TBF I have not bought any thing from the UK since brexit until very recently when I bough a class 20 and Booster loco. Stopped buying from Kernow some time ago, For Pre orders they have a daft set up by charging your credit card for the total cost of the item, then they credit your card in between the rate can fluctuate and you loose money. 3 Quote
jhb171achill Posted January 9 Posted January 9 (edited) 5 hours ago, Georgeconna said: Really Tough about Hattons., TBF I have not bought any thing from the UK since brexit until very recently when I bough a class 20 and Booster loco. Stopped buying from Kernow some time ago, For Pre orders they have a daft set up by charging your credit card for the total cost of the item, then they credit your card in between the rate can fluctuate and you loose money. Me too; that’s the issue - brexit. Since covid, I started selling all sorts of old stuff accumulated over the years (not railway stuff) on fleabay. Once thus brexit stupidity started, I noticed a RAPID drop in offers being made, as a postal cost for, say, an old hardback book worth €20, jumped from maybe €6 to €21! Same thing has put me off buying the odd thing on fleabay as well as from suppliers in the UK. Anyone want some antique knives and forks? Edited January 9 by jhb171achill 4 1 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Thankfully I was still able to order 4 lighting packs from them for the 4-pack CIE genesis I have on order although I felt really sad doing so. Hard to take it in that such an established and significant name in the industry will shortly be no more. 1 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted January 9 Posted January 9 43 minutes ago, jhb171achill said: Same thing has put me off buying the odd thong on fleabay as well as from suppliers in the UK. Too much information there JB! Each to their own I guess......... 1 11 Quote
DJ Dangerous Posted January 9 Posted January 9 4 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said: Too much information there JB! Each to their own I guess......... At least we know what @jhb171achill does at the weekends, I suppose. 8 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted January 9 Posted January 9 1 minute ago, DJ Dangerous said: At least we know what @jhb171achill does at the weekends, I suppose. Dodgy doings at Dugort 4 Quote
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