[woodcote]

The Carrera take-over is both surprising and not-so surprising to me. What has been announced is in line with the way that toy companies survive and then grow. Unlike the chaos at Hornby over the past decade, it seems that the Carrera brand is doing well and that the company - Stadlbauer Marketing & Vertrieb GmbH (SMV) - have looked hard at their future and sought out a corporate sugar-daddy that will ensure the sort of investment and resilience to give Carrera a bright future.

Quantum seem to be a very similar company to Phoenix, although with a larger and broader portfolio. When Phoenix finally took over Hornby Hobbies, it was certainly a long-term investment - as I am sure Carrera will be for Quantum. These companies are willing and able to remain patient and allow the businesses they take over to build on their strengths - rather than looking for risky changes to deliver short-term profits. That's why I am confident about Hornby's future and why I am sure Carrera will continue to thrive - with pretty much the same staff and set-up now at SMV. I don't see any obvious weaknesses in the Carrera product line and don't expect any short-term changes. Digital 143 may need looking at, but that could mean more investment in the medium-term if the 1/43 system is valued as a stand-alone product rather than a stepping stone to the 1/24 track.

It will, of course, be interesting to see the future plans that the Carrera team are working on - in the same way as I am looking forward to seeing the developments at Scalextric come to fruition. There are some horrible asset-strippers out there in the business world, but companies like Quantum and Phoenix make their money by bringing investment and business expertise to allow brands like Carrera and Scalextric do what they are good at.