Model railway firm ‘full steam ahead’ after Brexit

MODEL railway business Hatton’s has steamed into a post-Brexit Britain with a spike in sales that has seen revenue increases of almost 70% in the EU – and higher worldwide – with a rise of more than 28% in the UK.

The specialist Merseyside–based business, which was forecast to deliver revenue in excess of £15m this year, has been surprised by its buoyant Brexit performance. 

Its ecommerce conversion rate is up more than 21%, average order value is rising and online transactions are up by 13.42%.

The business has delivered year on year growth since 2005, with the bulk of its sales online, and is still family owned.

Managing director Richard Davies said: “We weren’t sure what to expect after Brexit but we didn’t anticipate the positive impact on sales we’ve been experiencing. 

“We currently employ 73 people, and we’ve had to add eight new starters across July and August to cope with extra demand.”

Comparing the four weeks Pre Brexit (May 22 to June 22) with the 4 weeks following  (June 23 to July 21) EU-only revenue was up 69.46%, revenue from UK customers rose 28.31% and international revenue rose by 72%.

Overall in the eight-week period across post and pre Brexit Hatton’s revenue was up 28.38%.