Thread: Jessops closed all shops tonight!! Loss of 1400 jobs!

I like London Camera Exchange in Guildford, it's full of second hand goodies in the window and a real magnet ;) There was a small privately owned camera shop in Camberley that used to be full of helpful, knowledgable people but since it was taken over some years ago, seems to have died a death.

This is really sad, they have been around a long time and always provided good service to customers as well as having a good supply of quality used kit a few years ago.
I feel so sorry for the business who tried to restructure and survive without making staff redundant, current times and inflexible banking have now taken their toll.
Another high street camera shop gone to the wall - soon be none left.

Andy, I am so sorry to read this and am hoping that you will not be one of the 1400. It's always a terrible thing to read about a business like this closing.

The press here talk about "zombie businesses" - those that have already died but are propped up - animated - by their suppliers. The fact that, in this case, unlike Comet, stock is going directly back to the suppliers indicates that Jessops was exactly one of those businesses - it did not even own it's own merchandise.

It's worth noting that in the UK shop rents are paid four times a year, on "quarter days"; this is an archaic system which businesses say does not help their cashflow and leads to closures being grouped together. I went to Farnham yesterday and saw another small, long established business closing down - the Farnham Saddlers. Sad, but we will see more before this is over.



Sent from another Galaxy

Originally Posted by Djarum

Sad to see this happen.

I know Wolf/Ritz just did a huge downsizing. Its just so hard to sell electronics these days out of a B&M store when its hard to compete with the buying power of a company like B&H. I would love for a company like B&H to start expanding and putting in small stores around the country so we enthusiasts can actually go out and touch the cameras before we buy. I'm so reluctant to buy a camera because I want to play with it in a store before I buy and know it will fit my hands and uses. Losing stores like Jessops really hurts customers like me.

Samy's Camera, here in LA, is doing just that. It has a huge store in LA and has been expanding with satellites store across Southern California, (Orange County, Pasadena, Santa Barbara, et al).

It is sad when people lose their jobs, especially in this economy and en mass.

Gary

Originally Posted by Djarum

Its just so hard to sell electronics these days out of a B&M store when its hard to compete with the buying power of a company like B&H.

But that has always been true. Even in the 80s when I worked in one of these small stores, the owners complained about the B&H price structure and folks coming in to try a camera and then ordering from NYC. The problem is overhead, a willingness to buy online, and an unwillingness to pay for service. The changes we are seeing are the changes we are paying for. The human fallout is the saddest and much harder in bad times.

We only have one camera store left in this town, (specialist store I mean) there used to be three. I still buy my cameras from B&M stores, but the lenses... they come from B&H (except when the dollar exchange isnt appropriate to do so)...

Andy.. you aren't a Jessops employee are you? (Hopefully not!!)

Like Bill, I stopped using Jessops when they stopped doing used equipment. They went all corporate and became part of the homogenization of the high streets up and down the country. The stores looked all the same, became a sort of Comet, Dixons, PC World of the photographic industry. I feel very sorry indeed for the staff. The human element of this story with mortgages hanging by a thread for many of these people? Thank God it's not me.

Chelmsford has Cameraworld, staffed by very knowledgeable staff who will not sell you what you don't need. They have a great 2nd hand presence. They ain't cheap, but I go for service and knowledge

This from earlier today:


Jessops closure January 2013 by Lightmancer, on Flickr

Originally Posted by BBW

Andy, I am so sorry to read this and am hoping that you will not be one of the 1400. It's always a terrible thing to read about a business like this closing.

It's OK BB, I work at Park Cameras....I think my job is now very safe as we a re super busy at the moment. It is a shame about those who lost their jobs though.