Jessops (UK) going under?

sevencrossing

...

I do not think the big manufacturers want the goods back as most have only extended credit to a limit. .</</i>blockquote>

from the BBC News

Administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), appointed this week, said the doors had been closed for the last time on all 187 stores in the UK......

"The stock will be collected over the coming days and returned to a central warehouse. It will be returned to suppliers if they are entitled to it. As a consequence of the closure, Jessops is no longer able to accept returned product from customers," Mr Hunt said.

Msmoto

Thanks sevencrossing... I was only pointing out the USA policy. Apparently the situation is different in your country. I certainly would not want a camera which had been to a retailer and returned as the risk of someone having put their hands on the goods would seem to be high. Maybe these will be sold in a special sale.

sevencrossing

I guess they will be re sold as refurbished
Jessops and Jacobs used to have very big stands at Focus on Imaging
http://www.focus-on-imaging.co.uk/
selling stuff, including refurbished, at big discounts. I wonder who will replace them ?

Tradewind35

Sad to see Jessops go to the wall. I think they failed primarilly because compact camera sales have dwindled due to the increasing capability of mobile phones - the I Phone 5 for example has a super camera - probably more than a match for many compacts. I don't think Jessops competed in the high end segment much - if you want a top Nikon in the UK there were specialists with more range, expertise and better prices.I am now one of the many creditors out of pocket as I have shelled out on Jessops mailers - envelopes for slide film processing (I can explain what slides or transparencies are if you young folk have not heard of them). I doubt if I will ever get the money back, even if some independent lab does take over their processing laboratory.
Robin

mk2pop

Shame to see them go as they are only one of a couple camera stores in Scotland, i have always bought my bodies and lenses from them as there prices were always pretty close , but prices on some items (filters, batteries, memory cards etc.) were crazy when compared online

sevencrossing

The collapsed High Street camera retailing brand Jessops has been bought by a group including entrepreneur and Dragons' Den star, Peter Jones

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21285587

donaldejose

I prefer to shop on line for anything which does not require my physical presence (like getting a suit fitted) but I do realize the downside will be the demise of many local stores which means less ability to run out and pick up something today. Still . . . I do it. I don't want to put up with the inconvenience of driving around to get things and paying higher prices. Additionally, my computer doesn't have an "attitude" like I often find in sales stall these days. I think internet shopping for products was increase and local stores offering products will decrease over time. Local stores will offer services, not generic products. Also, stores in small town main streets will die out as people drive to large "big box" stores. The world is changing.

shawnino

I agree with DEJ's bit about the attitudes of sales people. The two main camera shops in my town have exorbitantly high prices. I guess they remain a going concern because their clients like to pay extra to be alternately ignored or treated like dirt. As much as I'd love to support my local economy, I refuse to reinforce what I consider to be very bad behaviour.

Msmoto

Interesting, about the only camera store within about 50 miles which has pro Nikon had my attention about two years ago. I was asking about the pro line of Nikon and they acted like they were doing me a favor.

So, B & H got my business...D4, 400, 70-200, 24-120, 85, 24, 24PC, Elinchrom sets. stands, etc. And all the retailer had to do was be nice......I really do not think they have a clue, many of them.

If one ever goes into Niemann-Marcus, AKA "needless markup" one finds an amazing display of friendliness and sincerity in their customer interaction. I have gone in dressed in grungy blue jeans, loose jacket, and they treat me like a queen. They have figured out one never knows who might be the next customer to purchase the $10,000 mink jacket.

spraynpray

@shawnino @msmoto: If it were me, I would ask to speak to the manager and tell him/her if I was made to feel 'less than' by any sales person. I believe we will all be worse off without shops like theirs so if IMHO they can do better I want them to improve. But then when I get good service, I also make sure the management knows about it too. They have their problems - trying to compete in a world which favours people who handle their goods then buy them on-line cheaper. It is sad.

DJBee49

This is a vicious circle with no happy ending for the high street shops I fear. I have become weary with making journeys of 30 miles each way (I live in the country) to get something at a shop that they really should have in stock- eg some screws at a hardware store- only to find they don't have even the most basic, staples in stock. So the next time, I buy on line and the 'real' shop has even less incentive to hold any stock. And so it goes.

I have to say though, that my experience of shopping in the US is that the shop assistants are extremely polite and (unlike England) always really seem to know what they are talking about. The first time I stumbled across this (to me then) unique phenomenon with a very young, charming and knowledgable shop assistant in a camera shop in Santa Fe, I nearly fell over in surprise! It has got slightly better in the UK recently though, probably because of the fierce competition.

spraynpray

Funny thing that DJB - the staff at my local Jessops were generally ok with a few really good ones but it didn't help them. The new owners look to have paid to cherry-pick a few lines and sell off stock - not to open any camera shops.

How do you like the future? No interaction with people, just flicking through web pages choosing by price. :-q

DJBee49

spraynpray
Yes, that was true of my local Jessops also- some of the staff were my ex-students and were tremendous- but much of English retail service was very poor, even if it has improved a little these days. I also do not like what the future holds in many areas, especially the collapse of high street shops. I do my best to support the good ones that are left and I hope they survive but it is tough.

I too am fairly sure that the buy-out has been more for the premises, stock and the name than any plans to re-open. It could also be that the name will be used for an internet photo company. It is very well known brand in the UK and that may well be their main intention.

[Deleted User]

@DJBee49 You're so right in what you say regarding lack of stock, but sadly the Internet is partially (at least, in my view) responsible for this - the online stores can stock pretty much anything and everything as it's all either stored in a monster warehouse somewhere or outsourced to similar secondary concerns, whereas the local shop has to pay and stock for every single item - something that they are not prepared to do for rarely sold items...

I live in the country too - my trips to Toulouse are relatively rare, but necessary if I want anything relatively specific, but also because I can usually find (and have it delivered free) pretty much anything cheaper on the 'net. I actually don't like this situation as I prefer to speak to the people in the real camera shop...but at the end of the day, the 160klm round trip, the time and the money etc. I have to make a choice.

sevencrossing

Camera chain Jessops re-opens

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21970531

spraynpray

That is good news - let's hope it works out.

paulr

Well happy to say, they are re-opening but scaled down, Peter Jones of the Tv program Dragons Den is very much involved, He a high roller on Uk shores, This man is an expert in Internet selling and marketing.
I am sure many of the Big retailers in the Uk will not be best pleased with his involvement
Peter Jones expects his companies to make good profits, so sadly the big discounts might not be on his agenda.

Time will tell, but it's nice to see Jessops operating again.

spraynpray

Regarding the profits Vs prices paulr, he says he will be equalling internet prices. If he doesn't, it will go down the pan again. He understands that people went to the shop to look then bought off the internet, so he knows the future if he doesn't match internet prices. This might force wex etc to lower their prices....

paulr

I was at Focus this year and there was distinct lack of discount from stands without Jacobs and Jessops

spraynpray

I nearly went to Focus this year because of the discounts I heard of the year before - glad I didn't bother now!

sevencrossing

Got a good discout on the Gitzo stand at Focus this year, it paid for petrol and parking

paulr

Sorry I was talking about camera bodies, I had a friend wanting to buy a D800 All the stands were the same price £1925 00 he managed to a get a free memory card off one dealer but that was it.
But he's now a proud D800 owner

itsnotmeyouknow

I almost went to Focus this year also - went last year and bought the Ilford pinhole camera - haven't put it to use yet

paulr

I spoke to several stand reps and they were of the opinion that numbers of visitors were well down. also some of the big manufactories were thinking of pulling out next year due to costs and lack of visitors
I was there on the last day and it was a lot quieter than previous years

Gitzo

Msmoto said;
Apparently the shopping center was unable to come together with the new tenant and so, three months later...the space is empty. I would suggest this circumstance is most likely not unusual, where a retailer cannot survive in the shopping center world as a result of the high overhead.

It's even much worse than that, Tommie;

We have one big shopping mall in Terre Haute, called "Honey Creek Mall"; about half of their tenants are barely hanging on by their fingernails, but the place does a great business during the Christmas holidays; my best friend is a very successful food vendor; he had spent a ton of $$$ putting together a fabulous "retro" popcorn/ carmel corn concession, and was negotiating with Honey Creek Mall to set up in the mall for Christmas. The local manager was delighted to get him, and was doing everything she could to make things go smoothly; the rent was agreed on, everything; at the very last minute, the "head office" in NYC calls, says "all vendors MUST have worker's comp.!

Which of course is completely impossible for a 30 day, vendor agreement; the State of Indiana won't even issue a 30 day WC set-up, as ALL temporary vendors hire only "self employed" help; my friend only needed ONE person to help, and he has about 50 who are wanting to do it; so the "temporary help" is VERY "willing", the State of Indiana is happy, the City of Terre Haute is "cool"........the local management at the mall is standing on their heads to get the concession, the merchants adjacent are "looking forward" to it..........and ONE fat-head imbecile in New York City, (650 mile away) INSISTS on something that's impossible! So EVERY ONE loses in the end! The mall loses $4,400 in rent, at a time when much of the year, half of their spaces have no tenants.

What a classic example of Dr. Laurence Peter's famous "principle", as stated in his book, "The Peter Principle"
"Sooner or later, all managers rise to a level where they become totally incompetent"! ( I nominate this years "award" to some "fat-head" in NYC !