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Archive 2013 · UK members - Jessops in administration

  
 
David Baldwin
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Latest news on Jessops:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9790689/Jessops-collapses-into-administration.html

Whose next?



Jan 10, 2013 at 03:35 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · UK members - Jessops in administration


I thought this might be good news for Jacob's, but a quick check told me they went down the drain last summer. What's up? Is there another national chain that's pressuring them, or is is simply online sales? I hope Fixation and Calumet are still in business when I next visit. I also hope that the shops around the BM are sufficiently unique to stay afloat...


Jan 10, 2013 at 07:18 AM
the888account
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Not surprised to be honest, they have been totally uncompetitive for ages

Went in to my local one a few weeks ago to see if they had any 5D3's available to look at (hold, touch) and was told they don't have them on the shelf and wouldn't open the box either - topping it off they were £200-£300 more than amazon!

£2,500 on a camera and I cant look at it first? hmmm...considering its a proper "store" and not an online retailer you would think they would capitalize on ability to sample before buying, even if at a small premium.



Jan 10, 2013 at 05:06 PM
15Bit
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · UK members - Jessops in administration


It is difficult to compete when you have the overheads of high street stores. Sad, but i think inevitable.

Last time i was in a jessops i was surprised by how knowledgeable the shop attendant was. Turned out she used to work for the local camera shop before Jessops put them out of business. Maybe their demise will encourage the return of small businesses again.



Jan 11, 2013 at 01:00 AM
the888account
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Now you mention it, the local camera store where I live is still going. Does all sorts, vintage gear through to 5d3's.

I keep an eye on it as they also get the occasional FD gem's in



Jan 11, 2013 at 04:33 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · UK members - Jessops in administration


jcolwell wrote:
I thought this might be good news for Jacob's, but a quick check told me they went down the drain last summer. What's up? Is there another national chain that's pressuring them, or is is simply online sales? I hope Fixation and Calumet are still in business when I next visit. I also hope that the shops around the BM are sufficiently unique to stay afloat...


Fixation is still very much in business.
Was in there earlier today . If I die I want to be burried in there .



Jan 11, 2013 at 04:45 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · UK members - Jessops in administration


15Bit wrote:
Last time i was in a jessops i was surprised by how knowledgeable the shop attendant was. Turned out she used to work for the local camera shop before Jessops put them out of business. Maybe their demise will encourage the return of small businesses again.


Funny I've had the exact opposit experience . Whenever I've been in the jessops stores local to me I've always been amazed at the inaccurate knowledge of so e of the sales people that have been serving customers .


I think they went in the wrong direction a few years ago. They seemed to want to just chase the P&S market.



Jan 11, 2013 at 04:51 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · UK members - Jessops in administration


By the way , they are not just in administration (that usually means they still trade) but as of close of business today they have closed their doors.
Anyone who has items away for repair etc should read their website.


I bet they will not be the last big electronic retail chain to go belly up .
Comet went a couple of months ago . Seen off by the dioxins group . Mind you it did seem strange to me that every little retail park that cropped up seemed to have a currys and a comet next door to each other .


As for the photo market over here its looking more and more online . Wex seems to be the 'go to' website . Probably Sort of like bh is in the states (of course amazon as well) .
But there are less and less places you can actually lay your hands on a real item without buying it first .



Jan 11, 2013 at 04:58 PM
15Bit
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Ian.Dobinson wrote:
Funny I've had the exact opposit experience . Whenever I've been in the jessops stores local to me I've always been amazed at the inaccurate knowledge of so e of the sales people that have been serving customers .


Exactly - i was surprised also. She was unusual in terms of usual Jessops employees i think, coming from a background that actually involved photography.



Jan 12, 2013 at 04:26 AM
anthonygh
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · UK members - Jessops in administration


I just managed to get some D76 the day before my local shop closed.....the young guy serving me asked what film I was going to dev......so that showed something!

This is clearly a UK issue at the moment....but I think photographers everywhere should be concerned as the on-line giants with their minimal operating overheads suck the life out of small specialist stores everywhere....aided by greedy landlords and high local taxes and staff costs.

Many people go to a local store....handle the goods...then order on-line. That will be a luxury soon.....people will increasing depend on 3rd party reviews to know what to buy. The electrical stores that still sell cameras will go for a simple pile them high sell them cheap approach.....and will only stock the cameras that are appropriate to that business model.




Jan 12, 2013 at 07:43 AM
Ed Swift
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · UK members - Jessops in administration


In Jessops case I've been surprised they've lasted so long, but when i searched a few days ago it seems they were close to the edge in 2009/10 as well.

Regarding Jacobs, but a store that had been around for 30 years iirc I think they may have been trying to expand too much at a bad time. Certainly they opened stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow around about 2011 in pretty prominent locations (Edinburgh next to Jessops and Glasgow half way up Sauchiehall st). Given how competitive they were with online retailers and knowledgeable the staff were it's a real shame.



Jan 12, 2013 at 04:26 PM
ct8282
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Can't stop evolution. People want cheaper prices, companies want to make more money. Therefore, having lower overheads and operating as an online business makes more sense as they can be more price competitive which is what the consumer wants.

Like it or lump it, its 2013 and the world now revolves around the www. I'm not going to drive into town and spend time searching through books at my local library if I want to research something. I'll search on google....

I'm very sorry to see Jessops go as most of my kit was purchased from them. But I got extremely preferential rates as I spent time getting to the know the store manager and sales team very well so I am also very sad for them as individuals as they had become good friends of mine. I was paying less per item at Jessops than any online company selling official UK stock could offer so it made sense for me. But, in all fairness if I could have paid less online its likely I would have bought my kit online instead.

We have to accept that the high street will continue to change over the coming years and will eventually migrate to restaurants, coffee shops, clothes shops and charity shops. The more expensive and less personal purchases will be made online.



Jan 13, 2013 at 01:55 PM
arthurb
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · UK members - Jessops in administration


It's been a bad year for camera retailers in the uk. First Jacobs and now Jessops. I bought most of my gear from these two retailers in the past. I too had the experience of asking to look at a 5d3 and being told they couldn't open the box. Lately I have been buying from the Internet but mainly because Jessops couldn't meet the price or didn't have the stock.

On the upside, I did buy a nice Sigma 70 - 300mm f4-5.6 DG OS in the Jacobs auction fire sale. The press has been emphasising that the Jessops stock is owned by their suppliers so there maybe no bargains this time.



Jan 13, 2013 at 02:13 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · UK members - Jessops in administration


ct8282 wrote:
Can't stop evolution. People want cheaper prices, companies want to make more money. Therefore, having lower overheads and operating as an online business makes more sense as they can be more price competitive which is what the consumer wants.

Like it or lump it, its 2013 and the world now revolves around the www. I'm not going to drive into town and spend time searching through books at my local library if I want to research something. I'll search on google....

I'm very sorry to see Jessops go as most of my kit was purchased from them. But I got extremely preferential
...Show more


Can't disagree with any of that . But I will say that while we want lower prices now the future looks pretty bleak. I can see in the not to distant future a model where we are buying direct from the manufacture or if still able to from another source not being able to get it any cheaper. (Ie pay MSRP)
Basicly how apple seem to operate . If you want an iPad it will cost you the same bought from any source . I don't know how much each unit costs currys-pcworld or any other official seller but I bet they don't make very much on each item . At some point in time apple will just decide they want us all to buy from either their own APPLE stores or direct from them online. And when the other luxury goods companies see this (and if they can generate the sort of hype as well even better) it won't be long before we see them open up their own 'stores'



Jan 13, 2013 at 02:24 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · UK members - Jessops in administration


arthurb wrote:
On the upside, I did buy a nice Sigma 70 - 300mm f4-5.6 DG OS in the Jacobs auction fire sale. The press has been emphasising that the Jessops stock is owned by their suppliers so there maybe no bargains this time.


Probably why they closed their doors so fast. I don't think it was more than a day or 2 from announcing administration to all stores closed .
Comet went on (at least some did) for a few weeks .

It's a bad time in general for this sort of retail sector. Not too long ago GAME were struggling to the point that suppliers wouldn't supply , and I wouldn't be too surprised to see a couple more big names go down the pan this year.



Jan 13, 2013 at 02:29 PM
ct8282
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · UK members - Jessops in administration


My sources tell me that the administrators were in talks with the suppliers who decided they couldn't support Jessops any further because of their poor performance and increased risk. All stock is being shipped back to their central warehouse and then back to the suppliers.

I was hoping for a few bargains myself but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. I bought my Nikon 105mm micro VR 2 days before they went pop for £562 which was essentially trade prices and I'm glad I did as I would have missed out on that awesome price.



Jan 13, 2013 at 04:11 PM
Chrissearle
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Here in India, the small local stores are flourishing. In the Fort Area of South Mumbai, there are dozens of small ( some tiny) camera stores that will get me pretty much anything I want, instantly, for cheaper than I can buy online. The stuff is legit with full warranties and what is more I have found the guys in the shops ( often the owners) are incredibly knowledgable. To the extent that I have been advised not to buy something ( which is on the shelf) because of known compatibility or performance issues. These guys pack more stock, service and knowledge than your average Jessops into an area the size of a broom cupboard and will bend over backwards to assist. Heck I can phone them up and they'll deliver to me 50 Km away same day COD for no extra charge. Sad for the Jessops employees but honestly, I used the Brighton branch a few times and was stunned at the truly pathetic levels of knowledge of the staff, the terrible 'couldn't care less' service and the fact that the stuff I wanted was rarely in stock, 'we can order it for you' doesn't cut it I'm afraid. I'm amazed that they lasted so long tbh.


Feb 07, 2013 at 12:22 AM
Brit-007
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · UK members - Jessops in administration


I supposed things have changed a lot. I remember there was a great camera warehouse or dealership in Uxbride, Middlesex but this was in the 80's. I am assuming it is gone now?


Feb 07, 2013 at 03:58 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Brit-007 wrote:
...there was a great camera warehouse or dealership in Uxbride, Middlesex ...


Uxbridge?



Feb 07, 2013 at 06:00 PM
Brit-007
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · UK members - Jessops in administration


Yep. It was in Uxbridge and I bought most of my Medium format gear from them as well. It was a pretty good store but it was in the 80's.


Feb 07, 2013 at 07:18 PM





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