Jessops going under (again)

Cambridge had two Jessops shops barely 400 yards or so apart.
Bought my first digital camera in one of them, it was a Nikon Coolpix 3100.
 
Park camera and wex are leading examples in how to survive lads
Wex were merged with Calumet in 2017, after the US part of Calumet went bust.
I wouldn't be surprised if Park closed their London shop, since the staff outnumber the customers most of the time.
Same with Wex. I browse their website and when it comes to "Check stock at local store" it appears the only store with any stock is the Norwich branch.
I usually buy from them on line and their delivery is usually pretty quick.
I think the best remaining retailer in that area is Cameraworld in Wells Street, who usually have good stock, excellent prices and are staffed by intelligent people.
As I recall it, Jacobs and Jessops in New Oxford St, London were about 20 yards apart.
They were facing each other on opposite sides of New Oxford Street.
 
Jessops Oxford Street moved a few doors down earlier this year, to a corner property. One window with cameras in, and the other in a side street about printing and framing, prints displayed on easels. A new direction for them ... I think. :thinking:
 
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I think the best remaining retailer in that area is Cameraworld in Wells Street, who usually have good stock, excellent prices and are staffed by intelligent people.

I've bought and sold there before. Sold three lenses on different occasions, preferring to see them check it out and agree a fair price to posting it off to someone.
 
Wex were merged with Calumet in 2017, after the US part of Calumet went bust.
I wouldn't be surprised if Park closed their London shop, since the staff outnumber the customers most of the time.
Same with Wex. I browse their website and when it comes to "Check stock at local store" it appears the only store with any stock is the Norwich branch.
I usually buy from them on line and their delivery is usually pretty quick.
I think the best remaining retailer in that area is Cameraworld in Wells Street, who usually have good stock, excellent prices and are staffed by intelligent people.

They were facing each other on opposite sides of New Oxford Street.

My experience with cameraworld has been worst than Jessops or rather worst of the lot of them. At least the folks in Jessops in Oxford Street are nice despite lacking any camera knowledge.
Though funnily enough I have bought a lot more from cameraworld than Jessops. Only thing I have bought from Jessops is the rocket blower :D
 
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I think shop staff have become disaffected from seeing their businesses being used as a showroom for online purchases.
In the vast majority of cases these purchases are from a different company, can see how that would be rather demoralising.

When Jessops started price matching in the early 2000's I took a print out in the shop from Amazon and they matched it.
Went back a couple of years later and did the same thing expecting a similar result.
Shop assistant went into one and said how that policy had nearly finished them off.
Cost them a sale, it wasn't the money, but because the bloke was well out of order.
 
Only shopped at Jessops once- Never again, I found the lack of Photographic and Equipment knowledge - sadly lacking to be honest

LCE in my local town however: Are well up on all things Photography and price matched WEX on my recent Sony 100-400mm GM lens too

Les :)
 
I think shop staff have become disaffected from seeing their businesses being used as a showroom for online purchases.
In the vast majority of cases these purchases are from a different company, can see how that would be rather demoralising.

When Jessops started price matching in the early 2000's I took a print out in the shop from Amazon and they matched it.
Went back a couple of years later and did the same thing expecting a similar result.
Shop assistant went into one and said how that policy had nearly finished them off.
Cost them a sale, it wasn't the money, but because the bloke was well out of order.

Funnily enough the online Jessops price matched Amazon for me in 2013. But I wanted the tripod for Christmas and I asked if I could pick it up in store i.e. the stock they have in Oxford Street on Christmas Eve. They said I couldn't do that because they had no control over individual stores and that it was at the branch managers discretion to price match. So contacted the branch manager and she went off on saying how things on Amazon could be grey import etc etc. Right a befree tripod made in Italy sold by Amazon directly is a grey import!

Anyway found it cheaper from cameraworld just 5 minutes away from Jessops. It was £25 cheaper than Amazon too. Called Jessops again, the manager said the same thing, they can't price match grey imports. Apparently even cameraworld sells grey imports according to Jessops.

Sounds ridiculous to me that Jessops online is happy to price match for a home delivery but I can't buy and pick up in store at the same price.
 
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I didn't need their advice, but I got my X-T3 in Jessops.

£200 off the typical price at the time (matching a tradeshow promo) + a free grip + £100 trade-in bonus (I took a v old micro 4/3rds).

Appreciate two of the three bonusess were Fuji promotions not Jessops, but I don't think I added much to their profit line.

They'll be missed!
 
I used to buy from my local Jessops years ago (long since closed) as they took over the existing camera shop. They'd kept the same staff so it was more or less the old shop anyway. I found them fair enough to deal with, buying both new and used kit from them over the years. I found they'd always price match genuine UK stock advertised prices for me when buying an expensive camera or lens, and it was nice to be able to see and handle before buying.

I miss not having a local camera shop, there's not a single one in my two local towns, but times move on and I can understand why they've vanished from the high street. You only have to look at an old copy of Amateur Photographer magazine from the early 1980s to see how many camera shops have closed, the magazine was literally about half an inch thick in those days there were so many adverts in it. It seemed virtually every sizable town had two or three camera shops in those days; now you're probably lucky to find that many in a city!
 
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Unfortunately a lot of these business don’t change with the times and don’t offer anything better than you doing your own research and buying online, often cheaper. If you go into a Currys store, most of the staff are very young and inexperienced because they are cheap to hire; unfortunately the downside is they often don’t have passion for the job role, don’t really care about the service they provide because they are going to have another career in a different field And aren’t knowledgable because Currys don’t invest in training for them.

These stores need to offer something extra that makes you want to return or spend the extra pounds versus online. In the context of a Camera shop, they should be offering seminars, workshops and getting in the camera reps to demo the latest equipment which should be published on social media, Instagram, snapchat getting their company name out there and promoting themselves (sales person) and amateur photographers. Couple this with properly trained sales Staff to get you hooked on the products and take your money and then when something goes wrong, they need to own the issue and not just say call Canon Cause the warrant is with them, wrong my sale of contract is with your company.

i had an issue yesterday with Wex, actually posted on here about it. The lady from the shop took ownership, sorted the issue, contacted me back and they have now gained a customer for return visits who will sing their praises to others.
 
I honestly try and use the high street where I can but every time I visit a camera shop I walk out disappointed. Last time I went in to Jessops it was for a mobile gimbal and they managed to give me a receipt for a canon lens...
 
I think the best remaining retailer in that area is Cameraworld in Wells Street, who usually have good stock, excellent prices and are staffed by intelligent people.

They were facing each other on opposite sides of New Oxford Street.

I like Cameraworld and have bought a few things there. When Jacobs and Jessops were facing off across New Oxford St, Jacobs seemed to have a better idea of what a camera chain store should be (though obviously not financially!), despite their competitor being the grandly styled 'World Camera Centre', the Jessops London flagship store. I don't recall buying very much at the latter - there were better branches to negotiate a price match, etc. The Jessops I really miss was the specialist 'Jessops Classic' branch in Pied Bull Yard near the British Museum, then also home to York Cameras (long gone) and The Classic Camera (a Leica shop that still exists).
 
I like Cameraworld and have bought a few things there. When Jacobs and Jessops were facing off across New Oxford St, Jacobs seemed to have a better idea of what a camera chain store should be (though obviously not financially!), despite their competitor being the grandly styled 'World Camera Centre', the Jessops London flagship store. I don't recall buying very much at the latter - there were better branches to negotiate a price match, etc. The Jessops I really miss was the specialist 'Jessops Classic' branch in Pied Bull Yard near the British Museum, then also home to York Cameras (long gone) and The Classic Camera (a Leica shop that still exists).
I've spent quite a bit of money at Cameraworld, both new and S/H items, and I've also traded stuff in for newer or different things. Always enjoyed excellent service from them.
I bought my first Canon DSLR lens (17-40 f4L) from Jacobs in New Oxford street but I too, never bought much from Jessops across the street.
If you walk up Rathbone Place from Park Cameras, near the top on the right is a place called Aperture who specialise in "classic" film cameras, Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei etc.
 
I was on the lookout for a ball head for my Manfrotto, as I was in the Metrocentre I popped in to see what they had, big mistake as it was a waste of my time. so getting home I looked on line and Jessops have very little in the way of ball heads and funny thing is you have to order them online as the most stores does not have any in stock. After a bit of research I decided that the Manfrotto 494 centre ball head was the one for me. Guess what, not available for collection, delivery or any thing else, they do not stock them :(

think I will stick to online shopping as there is a large variety of online retailers willing to take my money.
 
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I've spent quite a bit of money at Cameraworld, both new and S/H items, and I've also traded stuff in for newer or different things. Always enjoyed excellent service from them.
I bought my first Canon DSLR lens (17-40 f4L) from Jacobs in New Oxford street but I too, never bought much from Jessops across the street.
If you walk up Rathbone Place from Park Cameras, near the top on the right is a place called Aperture who specialise in "classic" film cameras, Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei etc.
Aperture I know too well - I've spent far too much at their various shops! They recently opened a separate Leica branch not far from Cameraworld, and the original shop/cafe in Museum St, now 'The Camera Museum', sells the Hasselblads.
 
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.


Your dates are a bit out. Jessops didn't started expanding until the 80s, in the 60s and 70s they were only in Leicester
 
Your dates are a bit out. Jessops didn't started expanding until the 80s, in the 60s and 70s they were only in Leicester
Memory failure again! - must be old age!
They did get slagged off at the time of their expansion though.
 
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I have had similar bad experiences with Jessops as already reported in this thread - Their customer service has been very poor and uncaring and their cameras knowledge equally poor, hence no reason to visit them whatsoever even if their prices were cheaper, which they are not. Knowledgable customer service and, very importantly, aftersales service, is extremely important.

I used to buy from Park Cameras (in Surrey Sussex) until I had a bad experience with them - They overcharged me by several thousand pounds and some of their staff were not exactly helpful - Other staff tried to be very helpful.

I now shop at either WEX or HDEW. WEX Norwich (HQ) are faultless in every respect. However, their subsidiaries Calumet (and their staff) are as bad as Jessops!! I have had to sort out Calumet problems at WEX management level. WEX even have a dedicated phone line for product advice and help and never hardsell you (or at least they dare not do so with me because I have a thing about it) - Option #3.

Too many people dismiss HDEW as a 'grey importer' of the same type as those based in the Far East. But in fact they used to be a UK high street retailer about 20(?) years ago but greedy landlords and the growth of online competition made them move into premises on a light industrial estate in Kent Surrey. They are a small business and do not hold stock but import unused new cameras and lenses, very limited brands, to order usually taking 5 working days. I am waiting for a delivery right now! They can save you a lot of money. Aftersales service and problem solving is as good as WEX. They are my two most favoured suppliers.
 
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I have had similar bad experiences with Jessops as already reported in this thread - Their customer service has been very poor and uncaring and their cameras knowledge equally poor, hence no reason to visit them whatsoever even if their prices were cheaper, which they are not. Knowledgable customer service and, very importantly, aftersales service, is extremely important.

I used to buy from Park Cameras (in Surrey) until I had a bad experience with them - They overcharged me by several thousand pounds and some of their staff were not exactly helpful - Other staff tried to be very helpful.

I now shop at either WEX or HDEW. WEX Norwich (HQ) are faultless in every respect. However, their subsidiaries Calumet (and their staff) are as bad as Jessops!! I have had to sort out Calumet problems at WEX management level. WEX even have a dedicated phone line for product advice and help and never hardsell you (or at least they dare not do so with me because I have a thing about it) - Option #3.

Too many people dismiss HDEW as a 'grey importer' of the same type as those based in the Far East. But in fact they used to be a UK high street retailer about 20(?) years ago but greedy landlords and the growth of online competition made them move into premises on a light industrial estate in Kent. They are a small business and do not hold stock but import unused new cameras and lenses, very limited brands, to order usually taking 5 working days. I am waiting for a delivery right now! They can save you a lot of money. Aftersales service and problem solving is as good as WEX. They are my two most favoured suppliers.

I have also had a more minor issue with Park that somewhat soured my attitude towards them.

I surmise we have all experienced both the good & the bad when it comes to buying anything.

Camera gear wise ~ I have used Wex, LCE and even Olympus direct and all have been absolutely fine.

PS a quick correction for the uninitiated reading @RedRobin 's post:-
Park are in Sussex not Surrey
HDEW are in Wallington in Surrey not in Kent
;)
 
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PS a quick correction for the uninitiated reading @RedRobin 's post:-
Park are in Sussex not Surrey
HDEW are in Wallington in Surrey not in Kent
;)

.... Thanks. I have now edited my post to correct it.
 
I passed Jessops Oxford Street today, doors open, staff standing around, no customers.

"Jessops owner plans to call in administrators" BBC 16/10/19 ... can't be good for business.

Does anyone know what's going on?
 
I passed Jessops Oxford Street today, doors open, staff standing around, no customers.

"Jessops owner plans to call in administrators" BBC 16/10/19 ... can't be good for business.

Does anyone know what's going on?

.... I'm sorry but does anyone care? How is it important?

If there was a Jessops in my local high street I would rather drive a 100-mile round trip to visit a camera shop which had knowledgable staff with good customer service attitudes and also one I could have faith in aftersales.
 
Jessops don't in the main sell anything I'd want to buy, so I'm not bothered. That said, having a shop convenient if I suddenly need a replacement lens cap (as happened in Bath a few years ago) can be useful. Here in Brighton, I can get most of what I need (except some large format sheet film) easily enough in Clock Tower Cameras. And lens/body caps...
 
I was in Redcar yesterday and Middlesbrough a couple of days ago. Redcar is worse. In some town centres it's desperate with charity shops and buy for cash / used kit selling shops and Pundlands being the only growth areas and just about everything else under threat. Gosh knows where this will end.

I do think something needs to be done otherwise all we'll have is betting shops, charity shops, the porn shop type sellers and the budget shops. I don't know what the answer is, drastically cut business rates and incentivise owners to let their properties at reasonable rates etc.. but do something for Gosh sake.

The UK claims to be amongst the richest and most developed nations but sometimes it's hard to believe it. We went to Singapore this year and they seem to be lightyears ahead of the UK in just about everything. Their public transport seems excellent, the social housing seems outstanding, their shopping centres are fantastic compared to what we have in the Middlesbrough area and their utility costs are a fraction of what they are here. In the UK we just seem to be slowly decaying or at least large areas of the country look like they are. And this is in no way a politically biased rant as Labour do sweet FA when they're in and I don't expect any difference if Comrade Corbyn and his cronies bribe their way to No.10.
 
I think it's a combination of high business rates, property ownership often being pension funds who believe that they should maximise revenue and charge fair market rates (= whatever a major multiple is prepared to pay should be what a struggling independent pays), and locally at least, the council doing its utmost to restrict people shopping by car, and rely instead on expensive and infrequent public tranport. I could get a bus (half hour intervals) into Brighton (half hour journey) for a £5 round trip. But why should I, given that the shops (apart from Clock Tower Cameras and City Books) don't carry things to interest me enough to buy?
 
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I think it's a combination of high business rates, property ownership often being pension funds who believe that they should maximise revenue and charge fair market rates (= whatever a major multiple is prepared to pay should be what a struggling independent pays), and locally at least, the council doing its utmost to restrict people shopping ny car, and rely instead on expensive and infrequent public tranport. I could get a bus (half hour intervals) into Brighton (half hour journey) for a £5 round trip. But why should I, given that the shops (apart from Clcok Tower Cameras and CIty Books) don't carry things to interest me enough to buy?

This is a part of it but as you'll know public transport is often not usable for many people and even if you're fit and active try getting something like an ironing board or a TV home by bus or even just a few bags of shopping.

I don't know what the answer is but then I'm not paid to. I do think it's time to look for a different way to do things and if that means having different people in councils and governments then that has to be a bonus.
 
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I could get a bus (half hour intervals) into Brighton (half hour journey) for a £5 round trip. But why should I, given that the shops (apart from Clcok Tower Cameras and CIty Books) don't carry things to interest me enough to buy?
Yes, but you are getting old and old people these days are probably seen as an irrelevance, a burden on the health service and pension system, and wholly to blame for cutting down the rain forests and melting Santa's home. ;)
 
.... I'm sorry but does anyone care? How is it important?
... just wondering how a shop can expect to do business when we all know they're bust.

Plus I bought a Panasonic GX80 kit from them which is still under warranty.

If there was a Jessops in my local high street I would rather drive a 100-mile round trip to visit a camera shop which had knowledgable staff with good customer service attitudes and also one I could have faith in aftersales.

I've bought gear from Jessops, I've bought gear from various places. I've found Jessops in Oxford Street to be rather good. I don't know if it's peculiar to the Oxford Street branch but the different brands send their own people to the shop to sell/demonstrate camera models. Earlier this year I'd already decided I wanted a Panasonic GX80 but had never actually held one. So the Panasonic girl allowed me to, without the alarm thingy attached, and was able to answer every question. I bought the kit plus another lens, a week later I decided I didn't like the other lens so returned it to exchange for another, no questions.

I don't care, if they disappear from the face of the earth, we'll manage some how. ;)
 
I have had similar bad experiences with Jessops as already reported in this thread - Their customer service has been very poor and uncaring and their cameras knowledge equally poor, hence no reason to visit them whatsoever even if their prices were cheaper, which they are not. Knowledgable customer service and, very importantly, aftersales service, is extremely important.

I used to buy from Park Cameras (in Surrey Sussex) until I had a bad experience with them - They overcharged me by several thousand pounds and some of their staff were not exactly helpful - Other staff tried to be very helpful.

I now shop at either WEX or HDEW. WEX Norwich (HQ) are faultless in every respect. However, their subsidiaries Calumet (and their staff) are as bad as Jessops!! I have had to sort out Calumet problems at WEX management level. WEX even have a dedicated phone line for product advice and help and never hardsell you (or at least they dare not do so with me because I have a thing about it) - Option #3.

Too many people dismiss HDEW as a 'grey importer' of the same type as those based in the Far East. But in fact they used to be a UK high street retailer about 20(?) years ago but greedy landlords and the growth of online competition made them move into premises on a light industrial estate in Kent Surrey. They are a small business and do not hold stock but import unused new cameras and lenses, very limited brands, to order usually taking 5 working days. I am waiting for a delivery right now! They can save you a lot of money. Aftersales service and problem solving is as good as WEX. They are my two most favoured suppliers.
Yes agree with you there about HDEW they are excellent
I did used to have a good local Jessops and bought my gear there but when they closed I discovered HDEW and have bought everything from them since
 
I was in Redcar yesterday and Middlesbrough a couple of days ago. Redcar is worse. In some town centres it's desperate with charity shops and buy for cash / used kit selling shops and Pundlands being the only growth areas and just about everything else under threat. Gosh knows where this will end.

I do think something needs to be done otherwise all we'll have is betting shops, charity shops, the porn shop type sellers and the budget shops. I don't know what the answer is, drastically cut business rates and incentivise owners to let their properties at reasonable rates etc.. but do something for Gosh sake.

The UK claims to be amongst the richest and most developed nations but sometimes it's hard to believe it. We went to Singapore this year and they seem to be lightyears ahead of the UK in just about everything. Their public transport seems excellent, the social housing seems outstanding, their shopping centres are fantastic compared to what we have in the Middlesbrough area and their utility costs are a fraction of what they are here. In the UK we just seem to be slowly decaying or at least large areas of the country look like they are. And this is in no way a politically biased rant as Labour do sweet FA when they're in and I don't expect any difference if Comrade Corbyn and his cronies bribe their way to No.10.

Maybe their society has far less of the never want to work chavvy mob who love the cheap shops selling crap.
So many places that they show with rubbish town centres are primarily populated by this gruesome lot
I live between Cambridge and Huntingdon, the former has a thriving shopping centre, the latter is the polar opposite
Same goes for awful local authority estates, these places don't get built to be rotten, its the people that do that

When I was a kid in the East End we were poor as were most of my friends families.
This made us want to get a job, earn money and hopefully improve the quality of our lives
These days the less well off seem to revel in poverty, no ambition or inclination to better their lot in life
Everyone now can go to university admittedly with loans, but that definitely wasn't the case when I was a youngster

These town centres often mirror the local area, until they make the effort things will never improve.
I went to Middlesbrough a couple of years ago primarily to see and photograph the Transporter Bridge.
To be honest it hadn't improved much from when I went to see the O's play a FA cup quarter final there in 1978
Regeneration money does help, Hull was a lot nicer than I remember it as are quite a few places
Presumably effort by the populace has been made to improve these places, its not only about cash
 
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When you can get better service, longer warranties, and quicker delivery from china, what chance do high street stores have, its just how retail is evolving unfortunately or fortunately depends on how you look at it. A 5dmk4 is OVER £1000 cheaper from one of the Chinese companies with a three year warranty, that's not something you can compete with.
 
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