Hattons store closure

[RailwayRobbo]

Just seen an announcement on instagram that Hattons have closed their Widnes store until further notice because of the coronavirus. Mail order and the helpdesk still work as normal. Their digital fitting service is suspended till further notice.
They are saying 99.5% of orders placed before 2 pm Monday to Friday will be despatched same day.

[George Stein]

Look on the bright side. If we all have to self-quarentine, we won't have an excuse for not getting back to actually working on the layout!!! Time to weather all those PO wagons.

George
North Carolina

[luckymucklebackit]

Hopefully they will see a surge in orders as more modelers take advantage of "self isolation" hopefully with mild symptoms to progress projects.

Keep Calm and Build Models!

jim

[OaksJunction]

I am renovating one of the bathrooms.

[Bufferstop]

Having taken the opportunity to visit them in their new abode I don't think closing their public counter will even make a visible blip on their sales graph. My sat-nav feeling a bit deprived of input actually had me in the Mersey as I approached.

[Richard Lee]

Okay, who is going to be the first to post "...but they might lose the facility to stock Bachmann! Wait a minute..."

[RailwayRobbo]

Hattons now contemplating suspending mail order.
Going to make an announcement in the next few days.
They say the suspension could be between 10 and 14 days.

[flying scotsman123]

Hattons now contemplating suspending mail order.
Going to make an announcement in the next few days.
They say the suspension could be between 10 and 14 days.

The 10-14 days makes it sound like they have a suspected case within their workforce. Not much point doing it just as a more general precaution but going back after a fortnight.

[muggins]

Well, perhaps if Hattons do shut down their mail order side for a while, some of the folk who automatically shop there because that's what they've always done or because they think Hattons will be cheapest will shop around a bit and have their eyes opened ...

[Bigmet]

Hattons now contemplating suspending mail order.
Going to make an announcement in the next few days.
They say the suspension could be between 10 and 14 days.

The 10-14 days makes it sound like they have a suspected case within their workforce. Not much point doing it just as a more general precaution but going back after a fortnight.

Think that's very likely. It's quite a workforce they had in their operation last time I looked, so the probability of having a case is much higher for them than for many of the competing operations. Their second hand stocking stopped the best part of two weeks ago; no way of telling the exact date, but it became noticeable that new items were not being added. So what caused that, probably staff shortage, maybe a specific person not available?

Funny thing when I returned to this hobby, I was surprised to find Hattons both still trading and so very different from what I remembered circa 1970. Where their operation primarily scores for me, is the result of the supplies shortfall which saw the really aggressive expansion of their second hand offering. I live in a near complete desert for s/h: just one model shop with good but very limited s/h stock, no toyfairs and the like, and what s/h traders attend shows tending to heaps of Hornby-Wrenblo, same year after year, with price tags from some fantasy land, of no use whatsoever.

Hattons though, just hoovering up good recent releases s/h, and pricing very fairly. Looks to me that they have a large customer base of easily bored folks, always moving on to the next shiny thing. Suits me, a regular supply of untouched 'as new' that's accessible. My s/h spend has far exceeded new these past three or four years, most of it at prices from ten years ago. Nobody else go looking please, I want first pickings...

[RailwayRobbo]

Hattons are anticipating a compulsary ban of 5 to 6 weeks on despatching items by Royal Mail and the likes of DPD etc.
Which means NO MORE MAIL ORDER.
They are thinking this will start on Thursday 26th March.

Go to their website for full details.

[Morayshire]

Which does seem more likely now given the latest from Boris this evening

[Bigmet]

Yes, only essential business to remain working. We will all have to be satisfied with what we have already got, for as long as the 'stay at home' restriction applies.

[RailwayRobbo]

We are talking with suppliers & traditional competitors about an industry-wide “1 out, all out” decision to suspend all despatch operations. We will be making a decision at 10am tomorrow and an announcement will follow very shortly after.

This is part of Hattons latest newsletter sent out yesterday.

[Bigmet]

I don't think the privately owned small shop is going to go with that! Here they are with - at last! - the advantage over the large retailers who need tens and more staff on the premises to operate. The guy with a small shop may be closed to visiting customers, but there's no risk in working alone and taking orders for courier dispatch if well organised. Might even be able to do it from home and just visit the shop once a week - ~I'll bet that's required by the insurance terms - for fulfillment.