Hobby Company take over UK distribution of Mätrix
I haven't a huge amount of detail, but I was told in my local(ish!) continental supplier of choice that Gaugemaster will not be taking any more trade orders for Märklin or Trix. Following the takeover of LGB, Mätrix will be homogonising their UK distribution, with the Hobby Company (existing LGB UK distributor, also UK distributor of ViTrains) taking on all work. This may have a positive impact on prices, as Gaugemaster were known for taking quite a cut. However, only time will tell.

Well, with my experiences with Gaugemaster, this can only be good news! Pity it won't do anything for Piko though.

What would be interesting to know was how much Marklin was sold in a given year in the UK vs how much was purchased by UK citizens? Do most Marklin purchasers in the UK buy their stuff in the UK or by mail order direct from Germany? John

John, yes that would be interesting... the same would go for Trix too - I've bought exclusively in Europe, although for Roco virtually none of my purchases are abroad - my retailer can even get most of the specials that are supposedly only available in Germany, and prices are competitive so there's no point in going to German retailers. With Trix I can save at least 10% and often more by buying in Germany - often I pay the price in Euros that UK retailers charge in sterling.