A to Z of Cool Britannia

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H is for Hornby

The very name gives a frisson to every trainspotter, and is there a father who hasn’t dreamed of a large attic where he can build the ultimate train track? Frank Hornby founded his first company, Meccano, in 1907 and made his first Hornby train in 1920. An instant hit, the brand went from strength to strength. However, in the late Nineties, Hornby struggled with falling sales, which lead to the transfer of manufacture to China. The benefits of the move, according to Frank Martin, Hornby CEO, was finer quality and greater authenticity, reviving the interest of aficionados. One other person had a huge effect on the sales of Hornby trains. In 2002, the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express train helped the toy company to a record leap in profits.

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