Calumet (U.S.A) closed down over night!

Wonder what happens if you have a lens out on rental, shops all closed, website gone and nowhere or nobody to return it to

Presumably keep it until liquidators are appointed or hope it gets forgotten about
 
tijuana taxi said:
Wonder what happens if you have a lens out on rental, shops all closed, website gone and nowhere or nobody to return it to
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If it's true that they only have $50K in assets then they can't own their rental kit. It must be leased from somebody who will want it back....
 
Calumet USA has filed for bankruptcy and shut its doors as of this morning.

No notice was given.

I have had several emails in from a friend in New York

They have closed down all their Social Media Sties there as well

After 75 years of business it is with a heavy heart that we announce our immediate closing in the United States (our European stores will continue). It has been a joy to share our passion for photography with you all of these years. We'll miss each other and we'll miss all of our customers. Thank you for everything.
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From my mate there

Took everyone off-guard including their employees. Talk is that they will be dissolving the business entirely. All their US social media accounts have been deleted as of today.

Well it is official, they have filed for voluntary bankruptcy and dissolution. just posted on twitter.


Mods - please move if this is in the wrong place == or delete if it's already here
 
JonathanRyan said:
If it's true that they only have $50K in assets then they can't own their rental kit. It must be leased from somebody who will want it back....
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but with no way of getting in touch or any contact details surely thats going to be pretty difficult lol, unless the equipment owners get the details passed on.
 
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I believe that the UK side of things is a separate legal entity to the US. I hold motorsport photography seminars for them, and everything is fine. I have spoken to the head of retail and the accounts dept this afternoon, and the US trading side of things has no direct effect over here.
 
boyfalldown said:
If Calumet have done that, the lease holder will have a very tricky time tracing where the rentals are
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They will have kept paperwork, right? Actually that could get messy as presumably the lease is a liability which (if US bankruptcy is the same as UK) they wouldn't have to honour........
 
JonathanRyan said:
They will have kept paperwork, right? Actually that could get messy as presumably the lease is a liability which (if US bankruptcy is the same as UK) they wouldn't have to honour........
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True, but the guys who own the leased kit have to get that info from Calumet. Tricky. Messy.
 
Gracious - it seems the staff turned up for work as usual this morning and found the shutters were down
 
camerassassin said:
Gracious - it seems the staff turned up for work as usual this morning and found the shutters were down
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now that is awful, people have families to feed and bills to pay, theres no need for that the hierarchy must have known in advance its terrible not informing the staff
 
Message on their Facebook page saying they're looking into reopening select locations to continue serving customers. If they do, they'll be able to collect most of the rental gear. Last time I hired from them in the UK, they put a very large precharge on my credit card so I'm sure the liquidator will be able to recover a large amount of the value of the hire kit they have trouble getting back.
 
Awwwww, say it aint so.

I must have spent two kings' ransoms with them over the years.
 
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Are the USA & Europe completely separate businesses?

When they announced their new web platform a few months ago it was reported that CalumetPhoto.com, was a state of the art website designed to interact seamlessly between Calumet's 31 stores in the USA and Europe & its professional call centre. Company officials expected to create a unique and all-inclusive online shopping experience for customers around the world.

Brian Carroll, president and CEO of Calumet, was quoted as saying "Overall, the new platform strengthens our contact with all photographers, it will broaden our capabilities and services to our customers throughout the U.S. and Europe."

Even if they are completely separate, I bet the UK employees will be wondering & worrying about any knock on effects.
Presumably the same business model, with minimum assets etc will be used in the UK?
 
OldCarlos said:
Are the USA & Europe completely separate businesses?

When they announced their new web platform a few months ago it was reported that CalumetPhoto.com, was a state of the art website designed to interact seamlessly between Calumet's 31 stores in the USA and Europe & its professional call centre. Company officials expected to create a unique and all-inclusive online shopping experience for customers around the world.

Brian Carroll, president and CEO of Calumet, was quoted as saying "Overall, the new platform strengthens our contact with all photographers, it will broaden our capabilities and services to our customers throughout the U.S. and Europe."

Even if they are completely separate, I bet the UK employees will be wondering & worrying about any knock on effects.
Presumably the same business model, with minimum assets etc will be used in the UK?
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Are they a franchise? If they were I could see how US and UK operations were separate, otherwise I can see the end of UK operations once bankruptcy comes to close in US

I wouldn't mine a fire sale of their own branded studio stuff.
 
nickjohnwatson said:
now that is awful, people have families to feed and bills to pay, theres no need for that the hierarchy must have known in advance its terrible not informing the staff
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Not much different to jessops? Would you tell the staff early, possibly with the result being leaked. It could affect any rescue plan or possible share prices, all sorts of reasons. Reports that staff have personal belongings locked in.
 
Interesting interview with an employee on petapixel. Customer kit locked in for repairs and sensor cleaning, low stock levels for some time as major brands wouldn't supply as they owed money, even ups refusing pickups. It seems that employee wasn't surprised, theyve had issues with wages being paid.

Doesn't sound like they'll be having much of a fire sale in the liquidation as it doesn't sound lie they actually own much yet owe lots.
 
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Employment contracts are very different in the USA to here, Most states allow Zero notice as a norm.
There is no security of employment.

Importantly, employment in the United States is at will, meaning that apart from certain limited exceptions, an employee's job security is generally at the mercy of the employer.
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Byker28i said:
Customer kit locked in for repairs and sensor cleaning,.
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What on earth would you do in that case? Claim on your insurance or wait and hope?

I see another good reason to self clean or send to manufacturer when time comes for a major service
 
I recently bought something from Calumet in the UK which had to be imported and they could not have been more helpful.

However, whether separate or not from the USA Calumet operation, folks here in the UK will surely get very nervous and think twice about using them for fear of not receiving services or goods which are paid for.
 
RedRobin said:
I recently bought something from Calumet in the UK which had to be imported and they could not have been more helpful.

However, whether separate or not from the USA Calumet operation, folks here in the UK will surely get very nervous and think twice about using them for fear of not receiving services or goods which are paid for.
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Thats going to be a problem the knock on effect :(
 
Byker28i said:
Customer kit locked in for repairs and sensor cleaning
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daugirdas said:
What on earth would you do in that case? Claim on your insurance or wait and hope?
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Any such equipment is the property of the owner and will be returned by the company or any appointed liquidator/administrator.

Just because it happens to be on their premises doesn't make it theirs and if it's not returned then that's basically theft.

If your car was in for service and the dealer went bust, your car wouldn't suddenly be declared an asset of the dealer simply because it was parked at their premises.
 
The T&C page on the UK website makes it clear that it is a separate company, but unfortunately that doesn't help as the company could be partly or wholly owned by the US business. :cautious:

2. Place of performance and applicable law.
Calumet Photographic is a company registered in England (Company registration No. 425579) Unless otherwise specified, the materials on this site are directed solely at those who access this site from the United Kingdom mainland. Calumet Photographic makes no representation that any product referred to in the materials on this site is appropriate for use, or available, in other locations. Those who choose to access this site from other locations are responsible for compliance with local laws if and to the extent local laws are applicable. English law shall govern this Agreement.

You and we each submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts in relation to disputes arising out of this Agreement.
 
Vertigo1 said:
Any such equipment is the property of the owner and will be returned by the company or any appointed liquidator/administrator.

Just because it happens to be on their premises doesn't make it theirs and if it's not returned then that's basically theft.

If your car was in for service and the dealer went bust, your car wouldn't suddenly be declared an asset of the dealer simply because it was parked at their premises.
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Still not what you want and I suspect a hassle to resolve.
 
Calumet UK posted this on their Facebook page yesterday (http://www.facebook.com/calumetphotouk):

It is with regret that we confirm that Calumet Photographic Inc. – Calumet’s operations within the United States filed for bankruptcy on 13 March 2014. Calumet Photographic in the UK and across Europe are separate entities from the US business within the overall Calumet organisational structure and we are therefore not affected by this announcement in the UK and Europe. We are trading as usual and you can continue to shop and rent with us as normal via our stores, web and phone.
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So that gives me the impression that hopefully the UK and European locations won't be affected.
 
I would think if net worth is £1m its not too bad and there is nothing wrong at all in having your stock on credit as long as you sell it before you have to pay for it then its a good thing. But remember by the time a company's financial results are published they are out of date. Personally I would happily use Calumet (UK) but before giving my equipment to any company to repair I would make sure I could prove ownership.
 
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