Jessops to close 80 stores?

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The Sunday Telegraph's business pages report that Jessops is to announce the closure of around 80 stores (around a quarter of the total) this week and will concentrate on developing its website and on-line activities. Also that the private equity group which owns MFI is looking closely at a bid for the company.

http://tinyurl.com/3bewg6
 
Sadly they are just too expensive and without any real knowledge to justify the extra cost and soften the blow.

If they were cheaper, as cheap as say the cameras2u website they also own and trained their staff to be a bit more knowledgeable then they would be a serious option and would do really well.
 
We have three in Norwich within 500 metres of each other guess two will go:shrug:
 
Leeds has three within a 4-5 min radius, bradford has two.

If I use them, I tend to use the one in Halifax, as they are very helpfull and seem to know what they are on about. Mind it wont take much as I know sod all!!!

Cheerz(y)
 
Good !, too expensive and clueless employees, in my experience !

Alan
 
A suspicious fire in one of the Chester stores closed one of the city center branches for them.
 
nottingham has 2 stores within a 5 minute walk of each other too. i dont understand why they have so many so close to each other, doesnt make financial/business sense does it?
 
antc said:
nottingham has 2 stores within a 5 minute walk of each other too. i dont understand why they have so many so close to each other, doesnt make financial/business sense does it?
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I think in most cases one was the original Jessops shop and the other one or two were independents that Jessops acquired and rebranded instead of closing down.
 
I see, i didnt realise they had bought out other stores in the past. still makes you wonder though, if they could sustain 2 shops so close :thinking:
 
Same in Shrewsbury - 2 stores within a couple of hundred yards of each other
 
Bristol has 3 (or is that 4 including the one in Cribbs) 2 in the center are only 2 mins minute apart
 
Put most of these problems down to extortionate Business Rates on high street shops forcing them to charge uncompetitive prices. It parallels the banks where online banking is cheaper now than using the high street branch.

An Internet facility can be run from a warehouse on an industrial site at probably half or less rateable value than a high street facility. The Business Rating system is killing off town centres leading to out of town shopping centres and the use of phone or Internet shopping from industrial estate facilities.

Overspending city councils will suddenly wake up to this when most of the city centre shops are boarded up and they have little rating income coming in and more and more shoppers then shun the cities so even the remaining shops see a decline in trade speeding up closures. Keeping introducing rate increases will soon lead to the "law of diminishing returns" kicking in where the more you put the rates up the less revenue you get because industry votes with its feet and either moves to cheaper locations or just closes down throwing more and more of the population out of work, or in the case of manufacturing industry moves abroad then using foreign rather than UK labour.

What is needed is a profits based Income tax system where the local council only can have a fixed percentage of a firms profit instead of being able to levy rates at the level they choose. Then councils, like industry, would have to cut their coat according to their cloth and only be able to spend a sensible part of what is earned in their area. That would mean cutting Councillors expenses and all the unnecessary overmanning and stupid projects they undertake though.

DaveW
 
I was speaking to someone who still works for them last wednesday and he said that there was a big rumour about store closures and more redundancies at head office in Leicester in the next week or two.Everyone is looking for other jobs before they collapse.They tried to expand way too fast.Only 3 years ago they made 160 staff at their main warehouse in Leicester redundant as they shut it down and chose to outsource to another company as they said they needed somewhere much bigger and could not find a warehouse large enough in Leicestershire.Looks like it was all a complete waste of time.
 
Really feel for their staff at the moment - must be hellish going into work each day not knowing if when you leave that night you'll still have a job.
 
The "Jessops effect" isn't just one that plagues photography... the big chain stores kill the independents in exactly the same way in every other game too.

The idependents can't compete on price, which ultimately is what most customers see as the deciding factor and at the same time, with the best will in the world, it is impossible for the huge chain to recruit that many staff who really know what they are talking about and offer good customer care.

Even if you are a high street customer, chances are you will go see the independent for the good advice then go to the box shifter to buy it...

The ironic thing now is that the chain stores are having their b*tts kicked by the internet. Doesn't help of course when the company's own website sells cheaper than the stores they operate (true in many cases!)
 
desantnik said:
Even if you are a high street customer, chances are you will go see the independent for the good advice then go to the box shifter to buy it...
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This has been going on for decades in specialist areas of retail. Back in the 1980s some friends of mine owned a backpacking and ski shop. Whole swathes of their day was spent in fitting people properly for walking boots or advising about the suitability of tents and sleeping bags, only to have an endless stream of customers walk out without buying. They were convinced that people were then ordering the goods from Field & Trek and saving a few quid.
 
Yeah, always used to be go and ask Jessops for the sales advice then go buy it from Dixons (who used to have the biggest sales of camera gear!).

If any of you remember Dixons you'll realise Jessops really aren't that bad lol!

The same muppet who didn't know about cameras also didn't know anything about TVs, hi-fi, computers and mobile phones ;-)
 
I must have been one of the lucky ones - had good sensible service at Jessops - (Harrogate and York) mind you, know what staff to get to serve you helps. Always prefer to use an Independent but unfortunately not always available. Hope they only close duplicates in the large towns as without them there often will be no chance to actually "feel" the goods and we all will be reduced to pictures on the web.
 
Fangman said:
Hope they only close duplicates in the large towns as without them there often will be no chance to actually "feel" the goods and we all will be reduced to pictures on the web.
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Isn't that the problem, though? As a shopping society we are no longer prepared to pay a few quid more to the retailer who actually offers good service and advice (and I'm not necessarily putting Jessops in this category - it's a general point I'm making). Instead we treat them as nothing more than a showroom for the "box-shifters" and then complain when the high street places shut down and we can no longer go and handle the stuff we prefer to buy on the web.

To be honest I've had reasonable service from Jessops when I've used them. What I've found most irritating is having to wait behind half a dozen people taking in their snaps for processing or collecting them at lunchtime.
 
There are two in Carlisle, within a two minute walk.

To be honest, I don't think I've ever used Jessops, always finding independents offer a better deal. I use Ffordes, Aperture Photographic and Mifsuds when I need something, and all have delivered within 24hrs, anything I needed in a hurry.

Perhaps the closure of Jessops (Dixons has already disappeared in Carlisle), will encourage some enterprising independent to open a shop in our area. The only other shop we have is Wilkinsons, and it is even more expensive than the others, and the staff really can't be bothered.

I look on the closing of Dixons as being a positive move for the photographers in this area, though I'm pretty sure others will think differently - those who are usually led like lambs to the slaughter, because there is nowhere else to go.
 
I use Jessops, but only if they are within £15-20 of the online shops.

I have bought quite a few camera bodies from them, mainly for peace of mind as i can return it to them.

In fact i just went and put my deposit down on a Canon 30D today, pick it up on Thursday.

I would only buy bodies from them as lenses and accessories they are well more expensive.
 
cant say im to suprised , the customer service i received was to be honest appaling.i tried to get the phone number of the service center which were dealing with my D80 repair ,they refused point blank, also said that they had phoned the center on my behalf they haddent .very poor
 
I work at jessops in Reading and have to say that i personally think that the service we give in our shop is pretty damn good, personally i didnt recieve any sort of training course when i joined but i have had to work things out and get help, but i think that i do give pretty good service, i will do what i can for the customers and i think that is the attitude of at least the rest of the staff in my store, i have heard tales about people being **** in other stores, but we are not all bad, also this is really the first time i have hear the news about the 80 shops being closed, the store that i work at is a rather small one and there is also another slightly larger one in our town, so i really wont be surprised if we are one of the 80.
Guess i'd better start looking for a new job then.
James:|
 
Sorry to hear it James!

I used to work in Retail and found the same - I gave really good service and always tried hard, but sadly people only really remember the bad experiences...

Cheers,
James
 
oldgit said:
Bristol has 3 (or is that 4 including the one in Cribbs) 2 in the center are only 2 mins minute apart
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yep, its mad isn't it?!

I think closing these stores is what they should have done ages ago. they swallowed up loads of good independant retailers and diluted their service to the point its now at - no photography enthusiast really ever goes there cause they know where its either cheaper or advice is better. I did get my 430ex from there recently 'cause it was the cheapest place around, and with the £10 cashback (just arrived!!) it was a good deal - got it price matched to cameras2u before the little shop hand could put it through the till...would have been something horrendous like £50 extra otherwise. I hate that they take the unknowledgable public (thats most non-photo enthusiasts and beyond) for a ride and rip them off royally. Memory card from jessops anyone?

if they sort out their porbs by closing stores service might get better, and will be back on track to help us all again. not quite there yet though.
 
OK, i agree some of our prices are slightly higher than other shops but if you look at our website, the prices arent really alot higher than other online stores, also you can match the jessops.com price in-store, another thing, when you run an online store you dont have to worry about the price of buying or renting and running all of the stores and also emplying the staff, if high street stores where to have the same prices as all online stores they would be making a permanent loss, and as i already said the service IS good and you also get hove a look at ro to hold the product before you decide to buy it, which online stores let you do that?
James
 
Digital Depot?

I too dispise the online/high street price divide. But I actually respect the stores that keep the prices the same.

I think Jessops have their place - after all, if someone who knows very little about cameras wants to buy one, they can fondle them and decide what they like.

Chances are, unless you're prepared for an argument, in a hurry or just desperate, the informed shopper is unlikely to shop there. Why should we when the service from other stores who have an internet presence is just as good?

I'm not picking on Jessops here though, the same applies to Currys, Comet, Dixons, PC World etc. etc. etc. - most of these stores are only there for those who don't feel comfortable buying online. How else do PC World survive? Their markup on leads, inks, etc. is frightening - but because of their location, people WILL pay it.


Cheers,
James
 
Mcpickering said:
OK, i agree some of our prices are slightly higher than other shops but if you look at our website, the prices arent really alot higher than other online stores, also you can match the jessops.com price in-store, another thing, when you run an online store you dont have to worry about the price of buying or renting and running all of the stores and also emplying the staff, if high street stores where to have the same prices as all online stores they would be making a permanent loss, and as i already said the service IS good and you also get hove a look at ro to hold the product before you decide to buy it, which online stores let you do that?
James
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James - the Jessops in Guildford has 4 or so staff, one of whom gives excellent advice and i trust his opinion. The others would do well to spell their own name given infinate time and a room full of monkeys. This is not a criticism of the individual so much as an observation that Jessops have squandered an unassailable position just 5 years ago to where they find themselves today.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but i feel it very dishonest when i can get a price-match on the on-line goods, but only if i ASK for it! I've also visited other stores, notably Camberley, where i have heard customers being misled or even lied to. This really isn't good enough.

that being said, i hope some stores remain and people like yourself continue to be employed in them.
 
Hi James
1 diamond doesn't make a mine :(

You sound like one of the few people in the Jessops stores who actually cares about what they do, sadly in my experience your greatly out numbered by people who don't know their **** from their elbow :(

I was recently astounded by one member of staff at my local store not even knowing the companies policy on price match :eek:

It's good to have you on here and I hope to see more posts by you, it's always nice to have opinions from the other side of the fence so to speak.
 
yes, well i havn't realy been to many other jessop's stores so i havnt had much previous experiance, maybe you should treck all the way over to Reading next time you want service, im sorry to hear all of these people wit bad experiences at jessops, it surprised me but then i suppose there are alot of people who work at jessops just for the money and dont give a rat's arse about the customers, but i pride myself on the fact that i will try the hardest i can for all customers that i serve in our store.
i realise that internet has taken over, but i would personally like to hold the camera before i purchase, so until they can do this over the internet, high-street stores will remain and i suppose they will always be slightly more expensive than their online counterparts.
i do definately agree with the comment about memory cards, i am still in disbelief at the outrageous prices we sell them at, i do try to occasionally tell the customers that it would be cheaper online but i have to be careful i'm not talking to someone from the company, who is testing our sales knowledge, cos i would loose my job.
James
 
and im sorry about the numerous typos and bad grammar in my posts, lol, im just too tyred to type properly
 
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