Jessops in administration.

Bad news, another high street retailer in big trouble.
A lovely shop to browse and us guys go somewhere else online and buy.
Sad but true.

 

That's a real shame - aren't they just about the last of the High Street camera shops?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...89/Jessops-collapses-into-administration.html

And double shame because they were a Tesco Deals Partner and you could occasionally exchange your Clubcard Vouchers for twice their value to spend instore at Jessops.

There's getting to be less and less choice on the High Street. How the likes of PC World survive with their high prices and lack of sales staff amazes me.

And Jessops were always doing some good deals http://www.hotukdeals.com/search?action=search&keywords=jessops

 

Just heard about it on the radio. Apparently the sale of cameras over the christmas period has dropped by around 90% and the sale of mobiles and tablets have soared. The expert on the radio was saying that the decline is due to the quality of phone cameras are excellent now and it's much easier to share photos. I personally only use a camera now if I want to post a picture on here. Sad but true, technology is getting that advanced that I think in the near future an awfull lot of other thing will disappear.

Rusty

 

Imagine how fast technology rises to die an equally fast death.

Digital cameras are not that old (esp. in comparison to film cameras) and even though the camera technology exists in phones and tablets, the speed of the demise of the dedicated digital camera is almost breath-taking.

 

Just heard on sky any xmas vouchers etc bought as presents, people cant get the ££ back .

Spruce

 

It is of course sad, especially for those that will inevitably lose their jobs, but what is even more sad is that in Britain, we still see a lot of bury-your-head-in-the-sand-and-hope-it-never-happens mentality in business.

The most (the only?) successful businesses adapt rapidly to changing trends and demands. Amazon is the best example I can think of. They realised that the sale of books couldn't sustain them, so they branched out into other areas, and then they invented their Kindle e-reader. What did Jessops do? Surely the directors were watching the rise of the smart phone and social networking? In recent years we've seen the almost total demise of 'film' in cameras, all going digital instead. Losing 35mm takes out a sinificant chunk of the market made up of 'casual/amateur' photographers (people who want to take a few snaps of their family or on holiday). I wonder what percentage of their customer base are serious enough to buy a dedicated camera by choice rather than being satisfied with one on a phone? I wonder what percentage of their customers would spend £10, £20 or £30 per month on a phone contract to get a decent phone? What demographic profile their customers match etc.

These are all examples of questions Jessops' directors should have been asking regularly. Clearly they weren't. This shift in trend didn't come from nowhere, its been happening steadily for a few years. There's no excuse at all for not spotting it and adapting to it.

 

Your right clueless, the the directors are pulling the plug and probably are sitting with money in the bank and no financial worry. Unlike the poor people who have lost there job. I also heard on the news the other day that HMV are in trouble and also look likely to shut. As you said in your previous post about Amazon why have HMV not done the same especially as they were close to calling in the administators last year. I went in on the run up Xmas to buy a CD and went to what I thought was the the front of the queue only to be told by the lady who I thought was at the front that the end of the queue was right around the shop and she had waited 45 minutes. They only had 2 people on thrctills and 4 tills not open. I put the CD down and went to WHSmiths.

Rusty

 

(post#8 - cross-posted with rusty)
Jessop's director(s) did - one jumped ship to HMV before this announcement. Let's see how quick that one will destroy HMV, too.

 

Sadly I believe this situation hasn't been helped by modern digital cameras needing a 200 - 300 page manual that's on a disk so requires a laptop to be carried around to check stuff out, that has 3 gazillion combinations of settings when old film SLRs only needed focusing, shutter speed or aperture selecting and the exposure meter needle lining (only 3 things). And then you need to spend hundreds of pounds on photo editing software.

And another thing, modern DSLRs are massive compared to the likes of old OM1 SLRs are so are the sizes of modern auto-focus lenses (because people can't be bothered to turn a focusing ring) another disincentive to buying modern camera gear that (in my opinion) has got so bloated and complicated that so many people are now just opting for snaps from their camera phones.

 

This.

A lot more people are taking up photography as a hobby, buying DSLRs and the lens' to match. Than people used to do with SLR's. Jessops catered mostly for this market, but their prices were way too high compared to what you could buy online.

These companies nowadays seem to go from emerging, then to out beating independent shops in business, then over expanding because of this and then once the market begins to shrink the business becomes a much weaker than before. HMV, Game and Comet are a very good idea of this where businesses have expanded in the good times thinking it would continue for decades.

 

I was never really a customer of Jessops, but only because I'm not really into photography. What did they do to make people walk in through their doors? If I was walking past, why would I stop and consider going in? If I wake up in the morning and suddenly decide I want a good camera, would I not just order one online?

Every shop needs something to make people come in and have a look, when they would normally walk past. Every shop in Redcar high street catches my attention in some way, even shops that don't sell anything I might want. Even Heron Frozen Foods catches my eye with offers of 3 gazillion frozen pork chops for 30p plastered all over the windows. I can't think of any reason to walk into Jessops except to buy a proper camera, which I'd do online if I wanted one. Surely they need to be doing things like low cost photo enhancement services while you wait, or print from your photo onto canvass or t-shirts. Gimmicks like that that get people in the door and earn them 'bread and butter money', knowing that while you're in the shop, you are primed to be relieved of more of your money for less gimmicky things they sell.