Jessops going under (again)

They also have competition from overseas of course.
Many HK firms are now considered ‘respectable’ and while much of the difference may be down to the tax, tax doesn’t fill the gap between £2,000 for a new body here and £1,200 from abroad does it?
So if someone knows what they want, why go to Jessops?

It costs a lot to do business in the UK. There's rent, business rates and utility bills to pay before you open the door plus there's often upward pressure on the minimum/living wage and then there's vat. It's not hard to see how a company in the far east where all expenses are much lower can sell you the same product and ship it to you for less but if all we're left with is buying stuff from overseas how are we going to fund the NHS, pay teachers wages and do all the other things that we all want to be better funded in the UK?

I keep remembering a shopping centre we went to in Thailand. There was three camera shops within yards of each other and they looked to have had just about everything we'd be interested in in stock and not only that they also had staff who we're overjoyed to talk and help. I don't know how much that setup costs but I'd guess having a fully stocked and staffed shop in Thailand costs a fraction what it does in the UK.

I don't have a problem with stuff in the shops being dearer than grey market stuff but when local councils actively conspire to kill off businesses I start to think they should be dragged from their cushy council offices and birched in public... either that or replaced with people with a better answer to the problems we face.
 
I feel for the staff but the business model where you hope that minimum wage, self-trained staff with targets and commission can survive and compete with online retailers is nothing but comeuppance for their model of undercutting the genuine specialists. Living in Leeds I'm fortunate to have a few specialists so I'd never even entertain the idea of shopping at Jessop's.
 
It costs a lot to do business in the UK. There's rent, business rates and utility bills to pay before you open the door plus there's often upward pressure on the minimum/living wage and then there's vat. It's not hard to see how a company in the far east where all expenses are much lower can sell you the same product and ship it to you for less but if all we're left with is buying stuff from overseas how are we going to fund the NHS, pay teachers wages and do all the other things that we all want to be better funded in the UK?

I keep remembering a shopping centre we went to in Thailand. There was three camera shops within yards of each other and they looked to have had just about everything we'd be interested in in stock and not only that they also had staff who we're overjoyed to talk and help. I don't know how much that setup costs but I'd guess having a fully stocked and staffed shop in Thailand costs a fraction what it does in the UK.

I don't have a problem with stuff in the shops being dearer than grey market stuff but when local councils actively conspire to kill off businesses I start to think they should be dragged from their cushy council offices and birched in public... either that or replaced with people with a better answer to the problems we face.

Tis fine, BoJo has a magic money tree.
 
It costs a lot to do business in the UK. There's rent, business rates and utility bills to pay before you open the door plus there's often upward pressure on the minimum/living wage and then there's vat. It's not hard to see how a company in the far east where all expenses are much lower can sell you the same product and ship it to you for less but if all we're left with is buying stuff from overseas how are we going to fund the NHS, pay teachers wages and do all the other things that we all want to be better funded in the UK?

I keep remembering a shopping centre we went to in Thailand. There was three camera shops within yards of each other and they looked to have had just about everything we'd be interested in in stock and not only that they also had staff who we're overjoyed to talk and help. I don't know how much that setup costs but I'd guess having a fully stocked and staffed shop in Thailand costs a fraction what it does in the UK.

I don't have a problem with stuff in the shops being dearer than grey market stuff but when local councils actively conspire to kill off businesses I start to think they should be dragged from their cushy council offices and birched in public... either that or replaced with people with a better answer to the problems we face.

Clearly I understand where you’re coming from, however our Government, NHS, schools etc. routinely tender for goods and services globally in search of the best deal and as a means of capping costs. In a global economy, it’s no surprise that the individual aspires to the same...

The best retailers are finding other ways to attract business, whether through service quality, pleasant environment, cross-product/service provision etc. However councils do need to stop being surprised that people don’t visit their town centres when they’ve made it a pita to do so, likewise shops that don’t have what you’ve visited for and have to ‘order in’. I mean what’s the point?!
 
Tis fine, BoJo has a magic money tree.

You can't blame either Cons or Labour exclusively as IMO they're both equally guilty of pushing up businesses costs with not one thought to the consequences.

I used to work for a company that had falling sales and every time they lost another customer they put prices up in an effort to keep the revenue the same. That strategy failed and I can't see local or national government succeeding if they go down the same route. It's bad enough now, all some areas have is betting, charity and mobile phone shops and even they'll pull out if they're continually asked to pay more regardless of what they pull in.
 
You can't blame either Cons or Labour exclusively as IMO they're both equally guilty of pushing up businesses costs with not one thought to the consequences.

I used to work for a company that had falling sales and every time they lost another customer they put prices up in an effort to keep the revenue the same. That strategy failed and I can't see local or national government succeeding if they go down the same route. It's bad enough now, all some areas have is betting, charity and mobile phone shops and even they'll pull out if they're continually asked to pay more regardless of what they pull in.

I thought BoJo was going to increase the higher rate to £80K. That'll make for a very nice pay rise to a lot of people.
Hopefully the magic money tree will cover that.
 
Clearly I understand where you’re coming from, however our Government, NHS, schools etc. routinely tender for goods and services globally in search of the best deal and as a means of capping costs. In a global economy, it’s no surprise that the individual aspires to the same...

The best retailers are finding other ways to attract business, whether through service quality, pleasant environment, cross-product/service provision etc. However councils do need to stop being surprised that people don’t visit their town centres when they’ve made it a pita to do so, likewise shops that don’t have what you’ve visited for and have to ‘order in’. I mean what’s the point?!

Well, if looking at what government departments do we should consider that in other countries it's done very differently. The contracts go out to tender but they're written in such a way as the local company gets it not the foreign one. The global economy exists but there's no level playing field and the result is that other people in other countries do a better job of it that we do.

On a personal level we can't have it both ways. Yes, you can buy grey but don't complain when the local shop shuts and the governments cuts expenditure and the teachers get offered 1.2% as it's all a part of the same big picture.
 
I thought BoJo was going to increase the higher rate to £80K. That'll make for a very nice pay rise to a lot of people.
Hopefully the magic money tree will cover that.

I don't know but if you don't vote BoJo it's the racist 70's class war warrior or those Lib nonDems. Unless we all vote for independents :D

Anyway, enough politics or the mods will be here to tidy up soon...
 
I don't know but if you don't vote BoJo it's the racist 70's class war warrior or those Lib nonDems. Unless we all vote for independents :D

Anyway, enough politics or the mods will be here to tidy up soon...
Let's face the choice was never really between angels and devils. It was always which was least of the evils. I wonder if there is some kinda secret blood oath they take to screw with people when they enter politics.
 
Who they going to sell their stock to ? If WEX and Park buy it all cheaply they'll still sell at high prices, oh well in business to make money.
 
Strange this happening again but I happened to know one of the directors of the old Jessops before it went under. I did actually know ( from the horses mouth so to speak) it was going to happen long before the press or staff but swore to secrecy at the time. The annoying thing was all the directors ring fenced their interests so they didn't loose out financially wise. Customers that left photographic equipment with them for repair had a hell of a job to claim their gear back.

If this new Jessops goes the same way, there is no way would I buy from them (warranty problems possibly) or leave anything with them
 
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Who they going to sell their stock to ? If WEX and Park buy it all cheaply they'll still sell at high prices, oh well in business to make money.

I would expect that a significant proportion of their stock to be in their stores and warehouses on 30, 60, 90+ day credit terms from their suppliers, a good proportion of their stock would be recalled by their suppliers, with only stock that they have paid for to be sold if a rescue isn't forthcoming.
 
I went into a store earlier this week and saw a Nikon Sb600 flash for nearly £300.

I guess they are closing due to poor sales. Is it any wonder?
 
Still listing new cameras too and pre orders for A9ii.

Section 75 is a definite if you do place an order!!
 
Maplin and others that have gone bust recently often due to odd financial agreements rather than sales or staff on the ground.

The previous incarnation of Jessops that went bust can be traced back to roots of the UK's banking meltdown caused by ABN AMRO (Different to the current bank with the same name) which owned it. The same organisation which contributed in a major way to the problems at RBS group. Working from a clean slate Peter Jones has the best chance of making it work, but I'm not sure that the stores are currently making a good offering compared to its more agile competition.

One thing that is clear is that landlords with both commercial & personal tenants need to take the hit. Their rents have got too high and a major adjustment will have to happen on the market rate, causing landlords to consolidate and unfortunately go bust.
 
The rental and rates costs are huge for any retail business trading on the high street or retail parks
 
I really liked jessops,i bought my X100F from their Edinburgh store not long ago,got a good trade in deal on my canon G1X MK111.:)
 
Sadly Norwich City Hall is hell bent on making shopping in the city harder, citing traffic pollution. The death of the high street is not just the fault of online shopping, other players are to blame also.
Do they think that if people shop online, parcels are delivered by bike? I am concerned about traffic pollution but this is not the fix.
 
The original Jessops started in the 60's as a mainly mail order company, based in Liecester.
I remember their double page adverts in "Amateur Pfotographer" with prices that undercut nearly everybody else.

In the late sixties and early seventies Jessops underwent a big expansion, opening their nationwide chain of retail shops.
At the time they were castigated for causing the death of the UK photographic retail industry.

What goes around, comes around.
 
Come on, own up, who's visited Jessops, played with a few cameras, picked the brains of the manufacturer's on-site rep, gone away and bought online?

I think the big department stores can live with that, but not a camera-only shop.
 
Come on, own up, who's visited Jessops, played with a few cameras, picked the brains of the manufacturer's on-site rep, gone away and bought online?

Me.

I've also used their website as a handy guide to street prices.
 
I have just tried to ring Camera Jungle to enquire about a lens that I fancy, after 4 goes and no answer I'm beginning to wonder if they know and just cannot be bothered to take any calls. Bit of a shame really as it is a good price with the extra 10% off.
 
I have just tried to ring Camera Jungle to enquire about a lens that I fancy, after 4 goes and no answer I'm beginning to wonder if they know and just cannot be bothered to take any calls. Bit of a shame really as it is a good price with the extra 10% off.
Have they in the past handled phone enquiries or was it (almost?) entirely via emails???
 
They are already online only, just seen they are lowering their prices by 20% (no reduction on the lens I have been looking at for the past few weeks)
Plus a code for 10% off, expect some bargains on there in the near future

Unfortunately they haven't reduced the prices on the 'mint' stuff I've been looking at either :(
 
I really liked jessops,i bought my X100F from their Edinburgh store not long ago,got a good trade in deal on my canon G1X MK111.:)

What was the name of the camera shop that used to be a few doors along from them? They too failed a few years ago.
 
Was it Lizars?
 
I have just tried to ring Camera Jungle to enquire about a lens that I fancy, after 4 goes and no answer I'm beginning to wonder if they know and just cannot be bothered to take any calls. Bit of a shame really as it is a good price with the extra 10% off.

Nothing unusual there, at one stage they had just one woman to answer the phone.
She answered emails quicker than the phone, still not sure what this 20% off is being applied to
 
Having worked in the independent high street retail industry for 15 years from leaving school at 16, I got out over 20 years ago when I could see what was going to happen: Too many cars and not enough parking, increasing rent and business rates, competition from huge companies with bulk-buying power and new out of town retail parks where people could do their shopping all in one go at virtually any time of day or night - no 9 to 5.30 opening hours there!

Now we have on-line shopping too, where the retailer doesn't have a chain of shops and their staff (with all the costs of employment, accounting and paperwork of doing so these days) to fund from their income, but a warehouse and automated system, requiring fewer staff (many of whom are probably on minimum hours contract via an agency) to operate it.

There is no way I would try to run a traditional type high street shop, let alone a chain of them, these days. In all but a few niche markets (such as convenience shops, hot food takeaways, etc.) I believe that form of retail is finished if you want to make good money; and for that reason, I'm out!
 
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I have just tried to ring Camera Jungle to enquire about a lens that I fancy, after 4 goes and no answer I'm beginning to wonder if they know and just cannot be bothered to take any calls. Bit of a shame really as it is a good price with the extra 10% off.

Don't bother they don't answer calls. They'll reply to emails but still tell you to just look on the site for pictures. If you ask what accessories it comes with or what's in the box they'll simply tell you "whatever the previous owner traded in" and no more information.
Overall talking to them about anything before purchase is useless. You won't get anymore information than the website.

But if you are unhappy after the purchase they are pretty quick to organise returns collection.
I have bought two lenses from them when they were doing 20% off last couple of months. Kept one and had to send back the other.
 
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My last big lens purchase was from Jessops a while back, but I have to confess, it was online only. Don't remember the last time I went in a store.

Mind you, I had a nightmare as the lens was left outside my house with no signature - despite them claiming they'd got one. My partner at work ordered a new camera and lens at the same time and his got nicked off his doorstep as they'd left it there.

When I phoned up to complain, they didn't sound surprised. It wasn't them, but a third party carrier (UK Mail) but it still reflected badly on Jessops.
 
Peter Jones should have closed all stores and opened a central UK base for on line sales only

How many Amazon shops do you see ?

Surprised at Mr Green's business plan to keep the shops open
 
Was it Lizars?

Just remembered, it's was Jacobs, I bought a new 1D Mk IV from them early 2011 for £2995 which was £500 cheaper than Jessops at the time.

They closed shortly after that, possibly 2012.

Lizars was across the road, were they taken over by Blacks?
 
Just remembered, it's was Jacobs, I bought a new 1D Mk IV from them early 2011 for £2995 which was £500 cheaper than Jessops at the time.

They closed shortly after that, possibly 2012.

Lizars was across the road, were they taken over by Blacks?
Yep i think it became black & lizars.
 
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