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UNDERTHESPOTLIGHT
Simon Kohler, Marketing & Development Director at Hornby Hobbies Ltd
that 2020 was Hornby’s 100th anniversary.
We had so many great plans, and special
events. Of course, with the country locking
down, the celebrations were put on hold
and we had to come at it from a different
angle.”
“We had two people handling social
media, but we spotted an opportunity,
people needed support entertaining their
children. Each of the brands put together
pages with competitions, word searches,
colouring competitions, etc. We expanded
that to the social media side. So now each
brand has its own social media team. So
really since 2020 the social media side has
become a major part of our marketing.”
“We also wanted to celebrate the NHS
and give them something back. A model
locomotive ‘Captain Tom Moore’ special
issue was produced with all the profits
going to the NHS, we hoped it would raise
around £17,000 but it ended up at £140,000
which was amazing.”
In 2021, Yesterday TV Channel began
broadcasting ‘Hornby: A Model World’ giving
viewers a behind the scenes look at Hornby
and making stars of some of the team. The
producers approached us with a ‘fly on
the wall’ idea. We were wary it would be
some sort of hatchet job, but they put our
minds at rest. They started filming in late
2020, with the restrictions there was just a
cameraman doing all the jobs himself. They
just fitted into the business and didn’t get
in the way. All the feedback we’ve had from
the programme has been very positive.
They have to make a programme that
appeals to the masses, it’s fired people’s
interest. It’s got people back into model
railways or getting the old Scalextric out.
Most people have found it fascinating.”
Overseeing the future and development
of some of the public’s best loved brand
names comes with a unique set of
responsibilities. Rather than being a key
figure at the top of a business, I suggest
Simon has got more in common with a
football chairman; having to balance the
profits of a business with the feelings and
fanbase of your customers. “What we’re
selling is fun. The key thing is, you have to
remember is that people don’t necessarily
need to buy our product. They don’t need
us, so we have to try that bit harder to
make people say ‘Yeah, I want Hornby’.
Modelling is entertainment. It may be a
model railway or model aircraft and if
you’ve had a bad day, you now focussed
on making a tree or painting a wheel and
by doing all that, all of that day’s trials and
tribulations start to disappear. We’re very
conscious of the benefits of modelling and
how it can help mental stress.”
Hornby are in a great position at the
moment, but what can we expect in
the future? “The future is pretty good.
Obviously, we’re all faced with increasing
prices, which we have to pass on. So,
this coming year will be one of positive
challenges. We’ve got new tooling coming,
the 2022 ranges have been well received.
What we have planned for 2023 and 2024 is
equally exciting, if not more exciting. So yes,
very positive.”
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