Hornby Regulatory News (HRN)

Hornby Announces Launch of KitStarter Project

Hornby Plc ("Hornby"), the international models and collectibles Group, has today announced the launch of its innovative KitStarter project. KitStarter is a new in-house Airfix crowd-funding platform. It will allow consumers to choose and commit to purchase models that Airfix could re-introduce from its extensive archive and back catalogue.

Founded in 1939, Airfix has a proud history of designing models, which began with a Ferguson tractor in 1949. Many of the classic models it produced during the 1960s and 1970s are now out of production. Since Hornby bought Airfix in 2006, it has reinvigorated the business, introducing modern manufacturing processes that have enabled it to revive the product range. Now that the popularity of the hobby is increasing, Hornby is receiving many requests from enthusiasts to consider re-launching some older ranges of kits. These kits cover all subject matters from historical figures like Henry 8th and Oliver Cromwell to common garden birds such as Robins and Woodpeckers, not just wartime aircraft.

Utilising the technology via its website, Hornby is launching the KitStarter platform where consumers can choose which models the Company redevelops and they can commit to pre-ordering the model. When support has built to a certain number to make it viable, Hornby will pledge to manufacture the model kit. Successful KitStarter projects will be manufactured in a facility in the United Kingdom, and despatched in a KitStarter box containing the plastic components needed for the consumer to complete the model.

KitStarter has been launched on the Airfix website at www.airfix.com/kitstarter. Today's launch is very much in a Beta form with consumer interaction being encouraged to develop the programme into an ongoing subsection of the Airfix business. It is a further step in Hornby's strategy to improve the interaction with its consumer base via its website and other social media including Facebook and Twitter.

Richard Ames, Hornby Chief Executive Officer, said:

"This is a really exciting initiative for Airfix. We have a very large back-catalogue of model kits, many that are still remembered fondly by our consumers. We get lots of feedback about which models people would like us to re-introduce. Our KitStarter crowd-funding platform will enable Hornby to interact much more closely with our consumers. This will help us gauge demand accurately and respond quickly to their requests. Then we can prioritise which models we re-introduce.

"This initiative is one of a number where we are working hard to build closer links with our consumers. Many of these people are loyal enthusiasts who have been fans of Airfix for a long time and we enjoy interacting with them at model shows and via the model forums on our website. We are also confident that KitStarter will help us to reach a new generation of model enthusiasts that we can attract into the hobby."

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Date: 29th May 2015

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