[slackline]

...as Jessops go into administration.

[SA Chris]

Not a great surprise. Eradicate the competition and then get complacent and uncompetitive.

[SA Chris]

Shame I haven't got 7K to spare

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/pentax/645d-digital-medium-format-camera-with-fa-55mm-f-2-8-lens-80956/show.html

Just had a quick google - even with that "discount"it's cheaper elsewhere.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Saw this, can't say I'm surprised, they haven't exactly moved with the times...

Standard Sandisk 16gb Extreme SD card, Amazon sell it for £12.46
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00422J0CG

On 'sale' at Jessops was £59.99 now ONLY £49.99

That's 400% more.

Only mildly sad as I had a Saturday job there as a teenager, although can't say it gave me much loyalty to them.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Shame I haven't got 7K to spare

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/pentax/645d-digital-medium-format-camera-with-fa-55mm-f-2-8-lens-80956/show.html

I wouldn't risk dropping £7k on them at this point, the administrators will snap it up and you'd never see it again!

[mrjonathanr]

That's nothing, now this Moon chalk bag, RRP: £25.00 Boulders Price: £26.98 is what I call a bargain.

[slackline]

Gone

[SA Chris]

Shame I haven't got 7K to spare

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/pentax/645d-digital-medium-format-camera-with-fa-55mm-f-2-8-lens-80956/show.html

I wouldn't risk dropping £7k on them at this point, the administrators will snap it up and you'd never see it again!

I haven't got the cash or the need and even if I did I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Can anyone remember the names of the high street camera retailers jessops bought out n the 90s?

[slackline]

[Durbs]

Not just Amazon - more the grey-importers such as DigitalRev and Panamoz I think...

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

It's not surprising considering Carphone Warehouse is the biggest seller of 'cameras' and HD 'camcorders' in the country. Would you think of going to Jessops to buy a phone?

If they are looking to blame someone other than themselves they should blame Apple.

[slackline]

I think its more the point that Obi highlighted above, Jessops failed to adapt to a changing and increasingly competitive market.

I realised this but thought the picture was mildly amusing, rather than being wholly accurate.

[SA Chris]

As you say, they did themselves no favours. I stopped bothering with them and their expert advice when I was told there was "no such thing" as an ND grad filter. I told them to look it up on the internet and they said they didn't have a computer with internet access in the shop. This was a few years ago, but still.

[slackline]

they said they didn't have a computer with internet access in the shop. This was a few years ago, but still.

There in lies their foible, they weren't keeping an eye on what others were doing!

[Durbs]

Yeah, I think they might've found more success going more specialist along the DSLR/CSC/Bridge camera market - everyman and his dog with a "proper" camera seems to be sporting an SLR.

As above, anyone in the market for a compact will likely use their phone.

Then there's crazy markups like £55 for an SD card you can buy for £15-20. An ex-Jessops employee on the other channel said they usually sold the cameras at a loss, so the profits were all in the accessories (much like games consoles)...

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

An ex-Jessops employee on the other channel said they usually sold the cameras at a loss, so the profits were all in the accessories (much like games consoles)...

If they were doing this they would have been going out of business much earlier, the 'trojan horse' model only works when your tied into buying the consumables or games, so razors, inkjet printers, and games consoles are the classic ones.

The margins on some kits may be close to zero, but selling at a loss makes no sense in this market. If they tried to price match grey imports they may have made some loss but most retailers don't try and price match grey imports for this reason.

Rather than make a loss on each sale, pretty simply they didn't make the profit to cover the outgoings such as rent and salaries that are much lower for online only retailers.

I don't have much patience for companies blaming the internet for their failure. If you look at some one like Richer Sounds (who purely based on the daily delivery vans outside our local store, seems to be doing quite well), not only have they embraced online sales, with careful price matching policies, they have moved their core market to something that many people want to view and pick up in person (Large TVs) whilst not dropping their original specialities (mid to high end hi-fi) and offering better advice and service than online stores (excellent long warranties and easy, no quibble returns)

In the future the average high street may well lack bookshops, CD/DVD retailers and camera shops, however others businesses will soon fill their places.

[slackline]

In the future the average high street may well lack bookshops, CD/DVD retailers and camera shops, however others businesses will soon fill their places.

Hopefully not endless rows of designer coffee shops and fastfood chains.

[SA Chris]

No, rows of phone shops, if ours is anything to go by.

[slackline]

Perfect, people will still be able to buy cameras from the high street. 

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

In the future the average high street may well lack bookshops, CD/DVD retailers and camera shops, however others businesses will soon fill their places.

Hopefully not endless rows of designer coffee shops and fastfood chains.

Stating the bleeding obvious but sadly the only shops that will survive will be ones where people need/want to buy stuff. I was quite surprised that a large Starbucks in Shef recently closed, (not sure if it was due to the recent bad press) but this is a rarity.

[lagerstarfish]

Sheff city centre will be condensed to Argos and Primani at one end, the newly relocated markets at the other with TK Maxx, Boots, Maplin and some kind of pawn/cash shop in between. The gaps between these businesses will be filled by alternating phone shops and Greggs outlets. I think Happy Land and at least one Job Centre might also survive.

[SA Chris]

Aberdeen now has two Poundlands!

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Shef used to be bookended by Argi but the Moor one shut.

[SA Chris]

Well it looks like there won't be a Blockbuster there either!

[SA Chris]

Aberdeen's independant music shop 1Up is closing end of Jan now. So if HMW goes the only places to buy CDs here will be second hand shops and supermarkets.