Wikipedia has an interesting article on the history of Hornby. It describes it's up and downs for more than 100 years, having gone through several owners. The latest news on that front is very recent
[h=3]Financial troubles, PAM takeover[
edit][/h]From 2015, Hornby plc began to announce a series of declining financial results. The major reason behind the decline Hornby declared was two fold, with the decline in the number of (now aged, and hence older) collectable customers, and a lack of interest in modelling as a hobby in light of the digitization and advancement of the internet games industry. After the PLC shares dropped by more than 50% in a year, at the 2016 results Hornby declared that it planned to cut more than half of the toys it made, after discovering that it generated 90% of its profits from only 50% of its range.[SUP]
[10][/SUP] In the year to 31 March 2017, revenues fell further to £47.4m from £55.8m, while underlying losses widened to £6.3m from a £5.7m deficit in 2016.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] The financial declines culminated in July 2017, when the largest shareholder Phoenix Asset Management (PAM) agreed to buy 17.6 million Hornby shares for 32.375p from the second largest - and activist/protagonist shareholder - New Pistoia Income (NPI), which gave PAM a 55.2% holding in the company. This triggered under stock exchange rules a mandatory takeover offer of Hornby by PAM, at the NPI strike price of 32.375p, valuing Hornby at £27.4million.[SUP]
[2][/SUP][SUP]
[11][/SUP] As a result of the takeover, the chairman of Hornby resigned from the company in August 2017, followed by the Chief Executive in September 2017.[SUP]
[12][/SUP]
What the politics behind the retirements of the chairman and CEO are, are not mentioned, but like all these events, modellers and followers of the Company name and products, must live in hope for better times ahead.
My club here in Australia has a strong British and European following, with Hornby well represented and they've been loyal customers. At $47 for a model listed elsewhere @$84, discounted from $150, seems a good price. I would just hope they don't know something, the buying market doesn't.