Antavo Powers Hobby Rewards by Hornby Hobbies
January 5, 2023
Hobby Rewards, Hornby Hobbies’ new loyalty program has launched, bringing new offers to their loyal community of customers and collectors.
Founded in 1920, Hornby Hobbies is one of the oldest hobby and toy companies in the UK, spanning model railways, slot car racing, die-cats models and plastic model kits. Today, Hornby owns 14 collectable brands like Scalextric, Humbrol, Airfix, Corgi, Lima, Jouef and more. These brands are now united under one loyalty program, Hobby Rewards.
Hornby chose Antavo’s solution to launch their new loyalty program. Hornby’s program is an earn and burn program, in which customers earn 10 points for every pound they spend. Members of Hobby Rewards also get early access to selected new product launches, and exclusive partner rewards. The company also offers its members exclusive offers and competitions available only through the rewards program.
“Antavo’s unique proposition is allowing brands to connect with their customers based on shared passions, and Hornby Hobbies understands the importance of that concept. That’s why we’re so proud to help their customers connect and reconnect with Hornby in completely new ways.” – Attila Kecsmar, CEO at Antavo.
Hornby Hobbies’ new rewards program is a great compliment to the brand’s other clubs, including the Hornby Collector, Hornby TT:120, Scalextric and Airfix clubs, and members can be a part of the clubs that best fit their interests, enjoying their current discounts along with the additional benefits of Hobby Rewards.
Antavo’s Customer Success team is working with Hornby to further develop the loyalty program, so there will be many more surprises to come for their customers in the coming months and years, across their web and social media channels.
As Hornby wanted to improve the customer experience, the partnership between Antavo and Bloomreach has proven to be an essential key to success, allowing for a single integration to ensure all of the company’s data was connected with the loyalty program.
“Our customers are passionate about their hobbies. They are already our brand advocates and we wanted to ensure that their experience just keeps getting better across all of our channels. The launch of Hobby Rewards is one initiative that will help us keep connecting with our customers and engaging them through the endlessly exciting world of hobbies.” – Michael Manton, Head of Ecommerce
About Hornby Hobbies
Hornby is a household name and is famous as the UK brand leader in the model railway hobby. Hornby Hobbies’ journey began back in 1901 in Liverpool, when founder Frank Hornby applied for a patent in 1901 to protect an invention he called ‘Improvements in Toy or Educational Devices for Children and Young People’. This became Meccano, and in 1964, Hornby and Meccano were bought by a rival company, Tri-ang.
Hornby Railways became independent again in the 1980s and has continued it’s legacy as one of the most iconic companies in Britain. Learn more at www.hornby.com.
What is Antavo?
Antavo is the AI loyalty and incentives platform that brings together loyalty, promotions, and agentic AI to turn customers into regulars: the customers who come back on their own, buy more often, and bring others with them. For more than a decade, Antavo has powered identity-led loyalty strategies for brands including SKIMS, Paul Smith, KFC, Flying Tiger, and Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection. Marketers build, change, and launch programs and promotions themselves, without waiting on engineering. Learn more at antavo.com.
Media Contacts
Antavo
Eva Bacsi, Marketing Director
Hornby Hobbies
Michael Manton, Head of Ecommerce
Frequently asked questions about Antavo
What can brands build with Antavo?
Brands use Antavo to run the whole loyalty and incentives program on one platform: points, tiers, challenges, streaks, referrals, clubs, and rewards beyond discounts; promotions and incentives for members and non-members alike, from bonus points and promo codes to bundles and cart-level offers; and agentic AI built in. Everything runs online, in store, on mobile, and in wallet, and marketers launch it themselves.
Who uses Antavo?
Antavo works with mid-market and upper-mid-market brands across fashion, retail, beauty, travel, hospitality, restaurants, and sports in North America and Europe: multi-market, omnichannel brands with a strong identity and customers worth keeping, including Paul Smith, KFC, SKIMS, Rip Curl, Benefit Cosmetics, and Hyatt's Inclusive Collection.
How long has Antavo been around?
Antavo was founded in 2012 and has been building loyalty programs for more than a decade, with teams across Europe and North America serving brands worldwide.
Why do brands switch to Antavo?
Most loyalty programs get stuck: reduced to a discount engine, generic to customers, or too rigid to evolve. Antavo removes those compromises. Brands get a program that feels unmistakably their own, loyalty and incentives on one platform, and the depth to handle tiers, expirations, refunds, and many markets at scale. Their own marketers run it: a tier change in an afternoon, live when they press the button.
How does Antavo use AI?
Antavo's agentic AI is built in, not bolted on. Two named agents do the work: the AI Loyalty Expert, which turns your ideas into a build-ready program, and the AI Analyst, which turns your data into clear answers and reports. Both work inside Antavo or connect to Claude and ChatGPT, and every answer is grounded in your own program and data.
What does Antavo integrate with?
Antavo is API-first with real-time webhooks and deep pre-built integrations, from Shopify, Klaviyo, Braze, and Bloomreach to the CRMs, CDPs, ESPs, and POS systems you already use. Antavo plugs into the stack you already run rather than replacing it.
