paulr

Could we be left with

1.Supermarkets
2.Clothes based shopping centres
3.High streets of local traders

..........and everything else gone?

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Oh stop being so pessimistic, Cameron was telling us just a week ago how the UK is on the right track and everything will soon be all happy days again

hodgy0_2

i have heard that in some towns up north, even the charity and poundshops are closing down :-0

Chip

It will, once he sorts out the mess he inherited.

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

I have always received great service & advice from Jessops. Will be a sad loss.

paulr

Never used it tbh, my camera phone is good enough quality.

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

Bought a Canon DSLR last June from them. I wanted the "Hands on" approach when buying it as opposed to the "Blind" approach that you get when buying on-line.

The help & advice they gave me was superb.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

That's a real shame, I've bought two DSLRs from them and been generally pleasantly surprised with their service. They've certainly been better than my local independent camera shop, who tried to fob me off with last year's discontinued model at full RRP last time I went in.

Looks like I'll be making a trek to Park Cameras next time...

mart360

Bought my Nikon D5100 & the wifes Nikon compact from them last year

They have been in trouble for some time if i recall,

Might see if i can grab a lens or a tripod cheap before they go for good


Will be missed, they were always helpfull


Mart

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

As he has had to add to 3 years to a 4 year plan he created only 2 years ago I wouldn't hold your breath - they are all as crap as each other!

WRX_Dazza

Some nice comments here about their service and knowledge. - like the above, always better to handle the kit, get some advice and walk away with it in your hand there and then !! They used to use "managers discretion" on a few freebies here and there too

Matteeboy

Definitely a shame.

Most of these big high street names that have sunk overdid it on property and are now in the merde.

So hard to build a good brand and business, so easy to stuff it all up.

IWatkins

Always had excellent service from Jessops including even ordering in stuff they didn't stock and then price matching online only sellers.

Shame really.

paulr

Do these companies also go under due to the business model. There is another local camera shop near me which has been around for years and seems to be doing okay. Its an "own the shop,no debt, manager and owner is also the guy behind the counter".
Jessops, like Comet are they everything on borrowed money type business.

Anyone care to enlighten me.

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

The camera industry must have gone through quite a transition with the advent of decent CCDs in mobile phones, and from what I can tell they haven't really adapted to this. They are, like many other technology retailers, a victim of not adapting.

jonc

I think Jessops just lost their focus on their customer base and only looked at a snapshot of their potential market, they failed to see the bigger picture.

hodgy0_2

I don't think it was anything "dodgy", like private equity outfits loading it with debt etc

It seems like the market moved away from it and it did not adapt

Undoubtedly contributed to by high overheads / rents etc

boxst

I thought Jessops went almost out of business 4 or 5 years ago, and since then were really just ticking over until being sold.

Photography has gone through a huge change what with the internet and only certain people wanting cameras.

Mouser

F-Stop it!

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

What would you suggest they did, though? Become yet another mobile phone shop cluttering up the high street?

Matteeboy

Indeed and many independent camera stores still thrive.

I suspect they borrowed too much against property or similar. Retail overheads are horrific.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

The high street is ****ed really, think about things now, when I want something I can order it at any time and it arrives in less than 24 hours sometimes, I dont have to **** about driving to a town centre, parking and then traipsing round on the off chance they have what I want in stock, its too good, its too easy to do it that way.

Shops will only exist for stuff not worth ordering online, for pensioners/non net savvy, recreational shopping etc, its like broadcast tv, that is changing to the on demand model, we only put up with that as that was all the technology could do, like we only put up with huge CRT tellies as thats all that could be made, these things have been superceded and there will be a similar transition in the high street, there will always be room for small local shops and big supermarkets but it is the middle ground specialist stuff that suffers, or like Woolworths who I used to work for.

jonc

I think a lot of this stems from competitions from large major supermarkets that have tapped into almost every single area of consumer market. Pop into a Tesco extra for example and you can buy almost every conceivable product bar the niche or specialist products. TVs, DVD and blueray players, computers and tables (Comet); consoles and games (GAME), digital cameras and video cameras (Jessops). Backed by their massive buying power they are able to undercut all high street retailers and with the convenience of buying your groceries all in one place without having to worry about parking. But at the end of the day, this is of our making, this is what consumers wants, cheapness and convenience and these massive supermarkets successfully meet the demands. They are now online so we could see more online stores going the same way too.

mgcvk

Kinda the reason they are going out of business...

WRX_Dazza

Its not his fault

Matteeboy

But the stuff even huge supermarkets stock is mainly total gash. If you want decent stuff, find an independent.

One in particular down here (small chain of electrical stores) is thriving. Quality products, top notch service, good prices and they fit most stuff (e.g. hobs) for free.

It can be done and supermarkets and the Internet may dominate much of the market but there's still room for well run independent stores.

Sadly big high street chains often aren't agile enough, borrowed too much and aren't managed well enough at the top level.

mgcvk

No I don't mean that, but everyone has a phone/camera in their pockets these days and the latest phone cameras are good. I do miss film though. It is all too easy these days.

Steve_PPP

iTrader: (3)

+1

Although it helps that I live less than a mile from their showroom

MGJohn

Good grief! I am not alone...

=============================================

The UK has been heavily overloaded with retail outlets for many years. The focus on taking a profit rather than actually making, producing or earning one.

The one or two folks who sincerely believe ever more Desperate Dave and his band of optimists in Westminster will provide a cure will be disappointed. Probably not as much as those who think the two Eds are better than one of the Labour party will come up with working solutions when they take their turn which will surely come...

Only the will of the people can provide an answer to the Nation's current situation if they have the inclination and will in them. Then only on the much longer long term. Then again, that's something I would not like to risk too much of the hard to come by on even at generous odds based on the form I see when observing my fellow countrymen and women over the past few decades.

It did not used to be like that... Whatever next? Huge rewards for failure. Never happen. Asset strip and run is the way to go ... and go it surely will. Working hard or actually producing things is for mugs, fools and horses.

Be delighted to be proven wrong but, I shall not hold my breath.

For many years, decades even, I was a regular Jessops customer. My last two Nikons I purchased a few months ago was from a supermarket ... It's a sign.

paulr

Agreed. Recently we bought a new fridge/freezer from a local independant. The guy knows everything about fridge/freezers and told us that the model we were after was fine, except swapping the door hinges (we wanted it to open the other way) was a right pain..........but he would do it for us for free. You dont get that on the internet.