A new beginning for EFE?

They say a week is a long time in politics. It seems a week (or two) is also a long time in the model bus industry, as much has happened since I published my last piece on the demise of Exclusive First Editions just a week ago. Bachmann Europe have recently issued a press release announcing their acquisition of the range, a very welcome development considering how uncertain EFE's future looked just a short time before. Bachmann have reportedly purchased the EFE name, tooling and stock, but not the Gilbow Holdings company itself, and it is too early to tell what the future holds for EFE but collectors breathed a sigh of relief at the news that the business had been saved and production is expected to continue.

Thanks to Bachmann it looks like there will be more from EFE for our collections in the future

Cynics may suggest this was a deliberate ploy by Bachmann, and instead of taking over the business as a going concern, they intentionally waited until EFE went into administration and then bought what they wanted from the administrators for a lower price. Such theories notwithstanding, and regardless of the circumstances of the acquisition, it seems to be a positive development that will hopefully secure EFE's future after a few years of uncertainty and potentially breathe new life into the slightly tired brand. The EFE range appears to be a good fit with Bachmann's business model and complements their existing products, and the takeover now puts them in a similar position to their main rival Corgi as a subsidiary of one of the leading model railway companies.

As a much larger company than Gilbow, Bachmann appear to be in a stronger financial position and have a greater ability to invest in EFE. It has been said that EFE did have a number of all-new liveries in development but cashflow problems were preventing these from going ahead, and the overprints were an ultimately unsuccessful effort to tide them over and bring in some much-needed income to develop these new models. An injection of Bachmann money will hopefully see these models come to market sooner rather than later, and I'm sure the hope of many collectors is that the range will eventually be expanded with further new liveries and some long-overdue new tooling

Bachmann already handled marketing and distribution for EFE so these arrangements seem likely to remain unchanged, but what effect there will be on EFE's pricing policy remains to be seen. Bachmann have a reputation for not being the cheapest on the market but prioritising high quality over low cost, so it is uncertain whether there will be any substantial reduction in the retail price of EFE models, although this may be a wise move given that many collectors considered them to be overpriced at £34.99. Personally I wonder if Bachmann will do what I feel Hornby have failed to do with Corgi and develop greater integration between the EFE range and their trains, capitalising on the common scale and railway modellers' need for road vehicles to populate their layouts.

New releases are likely to cease in the short term as Bachmann take stock of what they have bought and develop a business plan for EFE, but this may take some time as they took over the Pocketbond company (manufacturers of Classix models) over a year ago and there has been little or no visible progress with that range since then. The press release implies that the deal included all remaining unsold EFE stock, so it seems the predicted scenario of this being dumped on the market en masse at low prices is now unlikely to happen. It will be interesting to see how Bachmann choose to sell these models: will they continue the previous owners' controversial practice of overprinting them to create 'new' releases, or will they sell them as-is for lower prices to clear the way for new stock? My personal opinion is that the latter would be the better option given many collectors' unfavourable attitude towards the overprints.

I'm sure model bus and truck collectors will be very glad to know that EFE have been saved from potential extinction, and the outcome seems a favourable one for all concerned so the future is hopefully bright. Frank and Brenda Joyce can now step away from the business they had devoted so much of their lives to and enjoy their retirement, and the considerable legacy they created has been passed on to a suitable new owner who will continue to supply collectors with the products. Here's to a new beginning for EFE under Bachmann ownership...