Bachmann no longer list Hattons as a stockist

[Bigmet]

It may be helpful to some to know that Bachmann and Hattons have parted ways. Bachmann do not list Hattons as a stockist, and as a result will not be receiving any further product from Bachmann.

(Bachmann's terms and conditions now contain a clause barring stockists from being direct competitors in manufacture or distribution of model railway product, and it is presumably on this point that the termination of their business relationship turns.)

Hattons are busy sending out cancellation notifications by e-mail to customers with preorders for future Bachmann products, advising that these orders will not be fulfilled.

[Bufferstop]

Stockists who also manufacture, are a bit of a nuisance, but cutting off a sizeable distributor smacks of "cutting off ones nose to spite the face". Simon Kohler's on air showdown with them and Rails didn't stop him accepting whacking great orders from them. Bachmann are behaving like 1950s Meccano with Hornby Dublo refusing to supply shops that sold Triang. Look where that got them. Times they are a changing, adapt or die!

[RailwayRobbo]

Just had a look at the Hattons website.
All items that were flagged up as 'pre-order' have disappeared from the Bachmann current stock pages.
Bachmann as also been removed from the list of manufacturers on the future releases notification page.
However there's no statement anywhere on the website about the current situation with Bachmann.
Pete

[sishades]

Killing the goose that lays the golden egg syndrome.....

[mahoganydog]

Well, they won't be supplying the Peco shop nor Gaugemaster any more then!

What a dim-witted clause! Whoever wrote it has utterly zero business sense.

[Bigmet]

With relatively little in the way of new introductions arriving or expected from Bachmann, I doubt that the effect will be severe for either business: beyond the effect of the reduced turnover that already exists due to limited supply.

Hattons went into operation as a manufacturer and distributor not on a whim but to sustain their business volume, when deliveries from their principal RTR suppliers fell short. That problem is emphatically one that those manufacturers have to own, nothing to do with a retailer whatsoever.

Hornby have done the sensible: shown that they can and will respond effectively to retailer 'incursions' on their turf, (King, Terrier) and continued to supply.

Bachmann's position strikes me as short sighted. Firstly they are no longer going to be in the largest (and in my opinion most effective) UK shop window for RTR model railway product. Secondly with no relationship existing this invites Hattons to go after any other Bachmann products which are off the pace as models, and there are a few significant items. Hattons' market knowledge - thanks to their sales volume - is going to indicate the potential top sellers from among these. And it is lower risk for Hattons because unlike Hornby, Bachmann on their current form will not be able to effectively counter such challenges by getting a new and improved model to market earlier.

On the positive side this should help stop the occasional small retailers' complaints of the big box shifters getting favourable treatment from the manufacturers...

[Bigglesof266]

Stockists who also manufacture, are a bit of a nuisance, but cutting off a sizeable distributor smacks of "cutting off ones nose to spite the face". Simon Kohler's on air showdown with them and Rails didn't stop him accepting whacking great orders from them. Bachmann are behaving like 1950s Meccano with Hornby Dublo refusing to supply shops that sold Triang. Look where that got them. Times they are a changing, adapt or die!

On the money.

Short sighted tactic in my view. Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face self-sabotage. This kind of behaviour will ultimately encourage Hattons strategic position as manufacturer and susequently strenghten it as supplier.

Reminds me of the inane Airfix supply blocking of Hattons. Result. I don't buy Airfix when better or equivalent quality of just about every brand such as Eduard, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Zvezda, Dragon, Meng, Hobbyboss, Trumpeter, Academy, Revell A.G. Italeri can be had at better prices.

[BobDM]

Presumably Rails of Sheffield will be the next to be targetted, then Kernow etc etc .

The question is who will be selling Bachmann - and bearing in mind their approach and the likely knock-on effect on pricing, who will be buying?

Sometimes the way "businessmen " run their businesses astonishes me.

[Mike Parkes]

Bit of a difference in that Hattons are producing their own models whereas Rails and Gaugemaster commission an existing manufacturer. The Rails Terrier is by Dapol and the CR 0-6-0 will be by Bachmann for example. Hattons openly offering trade terms to other shops to stock their models straight away makes them a model manufacturer in direct competition with Bachmann etc rather than if they had simply sold the models themselves and intending to produce a 66 is direct competition. It might actually be part of Kaders global terms that none of its subsidiaries will provide a competitor with stocks. At the end of the day their are plenty of Bachmann stockist and IME 99% of the time Hattons are not the cheapest in any case.

[SRman]

Bit of a difference in that Hattons are producing their own models whereas Rails and Gaugemaster commission an existing manufacturer. The Rails Terrier is by Dapol and the CR 0-6-0 will be by Bachmann for example. Hattons openly offering trade terms to other shops to stock their models straight away makes them a model manufacturer in direct competition with Bachmann etc rather than if they had simply sold the models themselves and intending to produce a 66 is direct competition. It might actually be part of Kaders global terms that none of its subsidiaries will provide a competitor with stocks. At the end of the day their are plenty of Bachmann stockist and IME 99% of the time Hattons are not the cheapest in any case.

Hatton's used to be the cheapest supplier, followed closely by Rails. Both retailers have been limited by the major manufacturers dictating that they cannot sell below a certain price for 8 weeks ( I think that was the figure ). To me, this also means that both Hatton's and Rails have chosen to alter their business strategies as a result of this limitation imposed on them: Hatton's has joined the ranks of manufacturers, after commissioning some models from the other manufacturers, while Rails seem to be commissioning exclusive models for themselves but haven't (as yet??) joined the ranks of full manufacturers.

[End2end]

Idiotic move. Well done Bachmann.
This is all going to blow up in thier faces.
Thanks
End2end

[Alexander Court]

Does it apply to farish too? Got an email this morning about the c class in secr green being no longer available for preorder.

[SRman]

It will most probably apply to all of the Bachmann lines, including Branchline (OO), Farish (N), and EFE vehicles in OO and N.

[Lancastrian]

...and it seems also 009.

[Bigmet]

The other UK retailer that has moved to manufacturer status by producing products under its own name is Kernow. These are not commissions from a manufacturer as with Rails of Sheffield, TMC, Olivias, NRM etc. But Kernow have not yet offered to distribute to the trade generally. If you want one of Kernow's products, then you buy from Kernow.

But what about Peco? There's no doubt about Peco both manufacturing and distributing product, and it directly competes with at very least the set track of Bachmann's range. Peco are on the list as an authorised Bachmann stockist. Possibly they may be accorded 'grandfather rights' since they were up and trading long before any of the businesses that became part of the Kader empire ever began trading here? There may well be further such examples, I have seen Gaugemaster mentioned.

In any case for this and other contingencies Bachmann have discretion (or 'wiggle room' if you like) in their business terms:

"Bachmann reserve the right to withdraw any trading agreement from any customer who Bachmann deem to be in direct competition with Bachmann as a manufacturer or distributor"
(Whole T&C document http://www.bachmann.co.uk/wp-content/up ... itions.pdf )

Storm in a teacup really, much more fun to operate the layout and let those in the business do their own thing.