UKH

linked to this on FB via a mate

up to 2000 jobs at risk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9790689/J...

Not surprised.

Have you seen a small independent camera shop outside a city or county town? They've all become 2nd hand shops.

Jessops are to cameras what Dixons were to electrical goods.

I need a new compact for my wife, but what can Jessops offer? The staff are hit and miss - you could get someone who knows there stuff or you could get a sales monkey. Amazon reviews are sometimes more insightful, their prices are cheaper (more often).

Despite all that, it is sad to see another high street employer go.

In reply to Philip:

High street chain retailers rarely provided a good shopping experience, with poorly-trained staff and high prices.

Now we can cut out the pointless poorly-trained staff and save money buying online.

To me, the future of "bricks and mortar" retail is more independent shops charging higher prices but with quality advice, plus clothing which you want to try on. I don't see that as a bad thing at all, though it's not good for those who will be hurt along the way by losing jobs.

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams:

Especially as so often if you want to go and buy something these days you find the shops are out of stock anyway

It is frustrating to not be able to just go and buy the product you want rather than have to wait for it to be delivered

In reply to Neil Williams: Cant argue with that.

Free specialist online forums provide the advice (such as here), cheaper lower to operate online retailers provide the goods.

There's no joy in seeing people affected with the way of the market but Jessops ave not been the first and certainly wont be the last. Comet went recently because it didnt have a good bricks and mortar business backed up with a good online offering.

The only question is, who will be next?

In reply to rallymania: Been in trouble for the last 2 years probably more.

In reply to IMA:


They've gone
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20958659

In reply to rallymania: I went for an interview there once when I was at uni and they asked me the stupidest questions, nothing about my photography knowledge all about sales techniques

In reply to Neil Williams: trouble is more people are trying on clothesin a shop and then buying them from the cheapest shop on line , how does a small specialist retailer deal with this ? guy at work went round keswick before xmas , tried lots of high end jackets on, asked lots of advice and then went home and ordered his fave online saving £30 on a £300 jacket. i asked if he thought about phoning the shop and giving them a chance to price match , he said "waste of time". i then gave him a hard time (playing devils advocate slightly )about this and the obvious implications, to which he replied "i really dont see that its my problem". i understand the desire to save money but i m not sure how small retailers will be able to stay in buisness in the face of this attitude . i dont know what the answer is but i dont want to see a high street full of estate agents , hairdressers and charity shops.

In reply to mike123:

Fair point - I don't know the answer to this one. Maybe views will change when it all looks a bit sparse. I find it hard to have any sympathy for large chain retailers or greedy city centre landlords, but I do have time for small business owners.

Neil

In reply to mike123:

On the plus-side, might get some bargains in the next couple of days...

In reply to rallymania:

What will happen to all the "what camera" threads on here where people tell the OP to go and see which one feels nicest in their hands?!

In reply to mike123:

Come to Newark, its already happened.

In reply to rallymania: 2000 more people out of work then, just what the country needs

In reply to cat88:

You say that as if this was something that could easily have been avoided.

In reply to rallymania: bad news indeed.

Now where am I going to test cameras before buying them cheaper online?

In reply to Blue Straggler: I remember reading in the welfare thread that there are already 5 unemployed people for every one job vacancy. comet went under around xmas, now jessops have followed, more people loosing their jobs and the retirement age increasing.
Not exactly good times for all

In reply to cap'nChino:

Calumet.

In reply to JJL:

Good riddence - totally shit shop

I phoned the independent store I bought my 400D in 2006 and asked for a price on a Canon 60D. The owner phoned back and declined to give a price as he couldn't come close to anything online - and I don't mean grey imports.

Comet were the epitome of this situation. Too much choice, too high price, useless staff and delivery times longer than those online.

I would trust a store like Jessops more if you went in and they only had half a dozen compact cameras. The staff could easily be familiar with so few. If they picked those that were genuinely good value and good quality but suited different needs you would trust them. As it is, you go in and what ever they spot you looking at they try and sell you.

If they sold memory cards for a fair price, and could give good advice they'd get visitors to the store which in turn would lead to sales of cameras.

It'll probably curse them, but look at Lakeland - they seem to be doing okay on the high street.

In reply to rallymania:

I'm guessing the rot set in when Jessops stopped selling Second Hand gear and employing knowledgeable staff?

I was seriously thinking of buying their dobson telescope just before Christmas. And I may just keep my eyes peeled to see if I can get one now.

In reply to mike123:
The answer is to recognise this when you are selling if you price match. Take the guy to a pc in the shop, look round the web together, find the deal he would go for and then match it there and then. I have seen over independents do this,its good service.Its a simple answer and you need to ask yourself why you are not doing it as standard practise.

In reply to rallymania: i personally like my local jessops and find the staff very knowlegable so i wouldnt tar all the branches the same. i bought my dslr from them last year and they took the time to show me all the cameras try out different lenses on each of them and were full of great information and pointers. they even matched there online price in store. also showed me there own landscape photos that they were now dsplaying in store and explaining what they had took them with. i for one will be disapointed if they take this local resource away.

In reply to rallymania: Not all retailers are dying though.

I know I may get flamed on here but Go-Outdoors is a shop I really like and in the main I find their prices pretty good compared to online, especially with the discount card. I pretty much know what I want so i dont need an expert more than someone who can show me to where the products are.

They seem to be opening new stores quite regularly.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Cotswold seem to be doing reasonably as well. But what both of these are is retailers where you really want to look at/feel/try on much of what they're selling, particularly clothing. Not half as easy to shop online, as you have to order and send back when things don't suit.

If you're buying a telly, they all look much the same, so you might as well review the specs and online reviews and order one on t'Interweb.

Neil

In reply to balmybaldwin:
Tried to buy something at Jessop's a while back and as you say it was out stock...... friend told me that it was because manufacturers were only supplying them if they paid up front as they were afraid they'd go bust.

In reply to Neil Williams:
Not really sure I'm 100% with that. I've heard many a time a retailer complaining that people will go into a shop to check out an item then buy it online.

In reply to Neil Williams:
totally agree. There are things (ie electrics) which I will buy on line as one is pretty much like another. But when it comes to clothes, especially climbing boots, I tend to try on dozens and compare them all before plumbing for the ones I like. I have found significant variation even in the same brand, so the idea of buying on line for such items is not one that appeals. Even coats and online review will rarely tell you how deep the pockets are or if the velcro tab scratches when you wear it.
Another thing that I am half and half about is books and CD's. I buy both on line but I buy more if I am in a shop and can browse.

In reply to The Lemming:

Do they do one? Nothing on the website.

In reply to winhill:

They were/are in-store.

Not checked the site yet.

In reply to Neil Williams:
I would concur with that. I've often been into branches of such retailers(electricals, computers, outdoor gear etc) and you really do feel that the staff have no product knowledge and that their only interest is parting you from your money. (I would however say that the one exception is Cotswold Outdoor)

In reply to rallymania: I have made two attempts to spend money in Jessops, In both cases I was patronised by people who seemed to be far too important to answer basic questions from an interested customer, good riddance.

In reply to rallymania:

Oh bugger! I broke the screen on a DSLR I bought from them last year during the festive holidays. What to do now????

In reply to rallymania:
I happened to be in the Trafford Centre this evening so called in. They're not all bad (secretary from my local camera club used to work there)chatted to and commiserated with the staff who had only heard today; I don't think they will be pleased to be subject to "good riddance"

Don't expect many bargains - most of the stock (I was looking at a Canon G15) will be going straight back to the wholesellers/manufacturers.

This is prime time for the debtors to strike, after shops are flush with xmas takings and before next rent is due.

In reply to kevin stephens:

Exactly. I was trying to think of a succinct way to spell this out to the rather hawkish posters who have been pouncing on this announcement. Thanks for doing it for me!

A guy at work picked up an LG TV for a bargain from Curry's - from stock that got sold to them cheap as comet didn't pay their bill before the shipment landed and it was UK spec'd.

So look out for bargains on other websites using stock from Jessops.

In reply to Philip:
Personally I'd avoid as I've been stung before...... You need warranty repairs?? the only option is the manufacturer which is a huge and expensive pain in the ass and to be honest the discounts aren't great.

In reply to rallymania: I used to work at Jessops part-time last year. To those of you saying good riddance, just have a think about what you're are saying - would you like to loose your job tomorrow?

Condolences to all those who are going to loose their jobs. I worked with a good team of people who offered a quality service to the local community.

David

In reply to David Kirsfelds:

While I haven't worked at Jessops, I've had a lot of good advice in my local store, bought my camera and some of my lenses there (and, contrary to what people are saying, the price was competitive) as well as regularly getting fairly large numbers of prints made up.

My condolences as well - Jessops will be missed!

In reply to David Ponting:

Is it actually going to disappear? Nobody going to take up the mantle and try to compete better with online prices using an improved business model?

In reply to Blue Straggler: Maybe, but from what I learnt about the profit margins it's a pretty dire situation. Many of the higher end cameras that we sold would actually make negative profit if sold alone e.g. a Canon 7D would set the shop back around £5-10. That's why the memory cards were so expensive. The most profitable part of the company was photo printing, making anywhere between 30% - 90% profit depending on the service. I don't think there is as much demand for a photo printing service anymore. You no longer need to get films developed to see what you've shot, and sharing photos on an iPad is just as good as having a photo, unless you're feeling nostalgic.

It was a weird situation. People would come in and buy a D7000 body only and think they were doing the local a shop a favour by putting some money in the till, rather than getting it a little bit cheaper on Amazon. Little did they know that would ruin the figures for the day. Changing the approach to performance management could alter this attitude that some shop workers had (pushy sales sort of thing), but it probably wouldn't be viable for the business.

David

In reply to rallymania: Oh no! I just ordered a photo book on their website! Do you think they'll deliver?

In reply to David Kirsfelds:
Thanks for the insight David. I guess it really is a case of "the world has changed". I think what you say about the death of photo printing is bang on the money. For a decade people still liked to print their digital pics but with the rise of the tablet (and even large screen mobile phones) which people increasingly carry EVERYWHERE and which are set up for easy photo viewing, and which have screens that can actually display the photo better than a print, this is a pretty big deal. I hadn't thought of that.

In reply to mike123:

It will be his problem when he has nowhere to try jackets on and seek that advice.

Best wishes to the poor souls who are losing their jobs, it seems we can't even continue as a nation of shopkeepers as our economy devolves to overseas corporations flogging us stuff online and paying no tax on their earnings, not really going to boost the economy is it?

In reply to rallymania:

As a complete 'no nothing' I found the staff at our local Jessops really helpful when I bought my D200 a few years ago. There was an opportunity for a bit of bargaining in the deal too, camera bag and a filter. With my basic knowledge, I will never be happy buying on line, even after reading the latest reviews (which most of the time, are written by, and for, people who know the product, and can understand the jargon).
I, for one, will miss another part of the traditional high street shopping experience.
A plague on Internet shopping!

Pete

In reply to Vanessa Simmons:

Probably - a lot of these photobooks are actually done by one or two companies under contract. If (big if!) your contract was with one of those but under the Jessop's brand you'll be OK.

Neil

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I have the various tekkie gizmos including an internet TV through which I can vue all the stored photos but at least one time a year we take the flashdrive to the shop to get some prints done to have in frames around the house. All of our favourite phtos are on permanent display for us and our visitors.

Are we unusual?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers: I still get all my photos printed - through Photobox. I love my albums. I can't look at and appreciate photos in the same way if they're on a computer

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Not at all! The key phrases in your post are "at least one time a year" and "our favourite photos"

Once upon a time you'd probably have 36 prints made every month. Some of them might even have been good photos And those prints would be the only easily viewable record of those photos.
Then came digital, and you could take 500 photos in a month, and print maybe 8-10 of those, on a poor consumer home printer.
Then you'd see the cost of inks and cut this to maybe 3-4 prints a month.
I bet you are not even averaging 3-4 printed photos a month now.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

SOrry, my post looks punchy when in fact it is meant to be quite the opposite! Have a smiley

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Even if you have prints done, did Jessops offer the quality? I had 6 prints of 6"x4" for some frames in our hall way. They weren't very good - not from Jessops but the same sort of equipment (Kodak in store machine).

I'm now planing to make a collage of family photos and considering having it done online and posted. I also want to get into the habit of making photobooks up yearly of half yearly of the best photos as I would quite happily browse and album but find it tedious on the computer even with cataloguing software.

In reply to Philip:

No I was not happy with the quality of their prints from 35mm at 6"*4". Never tried digital printing from their booths. I tended to use Tesco for the former (varies branch to branch but my local did a better job for this than did Jessops) and Boots for the latter (ditto).

Now it's Fujifilm Burnley mail-order for the former and Photobox for the latter, which neatly illustrates the whole thread I suppose. I am even worse now because even my second-hand 35mm camera purchase have shifted online!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Probably fewer in truth. I think we might have our best 20 annual prints done to have around the home. There are only so many space they can live and some of the older ones will always be on display.

In reply to Neil Williams: Thanks Neil, I will live in hope for the next few days! A friend of mine uses MyPublisher.uk.com so I may use them next time.

In reply to rallymania:

Not sure if it is bandwagon-jumping kneejerk scaremongering but Yahoo! News has an article up now stating that gift vouchers may not be honoured. That's awful for anyone who received £100s of Jessops vouchers for Christmas (and for the people who bought them).
Hopefully it is inaccurate reporting.

It will be interesting to see if items on order by home users get magically rerouted to the wholesalers too.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

That's exactly what Borders (huge US bookshop chain) did when they went bust here in Australia. Was major news for a week or so at the time. They'll do it if they can get away with it, which they can. Some absurdly high proportion of gift vouchers are never redeemed anyway, which of course they know very well.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
It's standard legal precedure whenever a company goes into administration. Legally gift voucher holders are no different to other creditors and have to take their turn/ wait while the administrator tries to salvage the business. Even if the business is sold the new owners have no legal obligation to honour them, although some might as an investment in the brands continued good name.

In reply to kevin stephens:

Cheers - yes I figured as much. It's just particularly awkward in this case because I imagine there are a lot of people who wanted to get something camera-related as a present for their camera-geek partners/friends/relatives etc but knew that the recipient would have better knowledge than they, so went for the voucher option.

In reply to Mr Mark Stephen Davies: Not always Mark - staff here in Cardiff were enthusiastic, helpful and knowledgeable.

Tough business though - people who use shops like Jessops to try stuff then walk away and buy cheaper online have to understand that this is the inevitable outcome. I can't do that, but I do know people who can and do.

In reply to rallymania:

Latest from their website: http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/Current%20Offers/Show.html

Helpline number at the bottom.

In reply to Mr Mark Stephen Davies:

You say that, but in my local Jessops there is a young lad working in there who is the dictionary definition of enthusiastic and is knowledgeable on all the stock they hold. It's like saying Go Outdoors is shit, in general they are but it all depends on the staff.

In reply to Mr Mark Stephen Davies: 'Good riddence - totally shit shop '

I think you mean riddance.

In reply to thermal_t:

Agreed, all the staff I dealt with in my local branch are/were very knowledgeable and helpful. I'll be sorry to see them go, assuming they do.

In reply to Fraser:

They said on radio earlier that all shops to close with immediate effect...
no idea if true.

In reply to rallymania:
I have had mixed experiences with Jessops staff, some very good some very bad.
Yesterday I spoke to the rudest sales assistant I have ever had the misfortune to meet at Jessops in Camberley.
I asked them about my broken flashgun on their facebook page, they told me to go into store, the guy in store told me to talk to head office and refused to listen to the fact I had already been told to go in store, he wouldn't converse with me, just spoke over me every time I tried to explain or discuss my predicament.
No wonder they have gone into liquidation if this is the way they treat their customers.
The funniest bit was when I told him that my statutory rights under the sale of goods act is that the item should last a reasonable length of time (my flash was two and a half years old, I think it should last longer), his response was a sarcastic "well you're a clever guy, but I have a law degree, so I know you can't return goods after 1 year! Hmm, so why are you working in Jessops mate?! I have never been so patronised or rudely treated in a shop, I left feeling furious. I can feel sorry for some of the other staff I have dealt with, but this guy I don't feel any sympathy for.

In reply to DreadyCraig:

"I have had mixed experiences with Jessops staff, some very good some very bad."

+1.

In reply to DreadyCraig:


possibly not the best day to judge their staff.

In reply to Cambridge-Climber:
I was about to post the very same thought when I read down a bit further and found you'd beaten me to it. Couldn't agree more.

In reply to Mikkel:

passed the city centre edinburgh shop at the weekend and it was all closed up so that probably is true

as said, feel sorry for the staff, have bought a camera, a nifty fifty and a flash from them in the last year.

was eyeing up a tripod that was on offer, but too late now

In reply to rallymania:

I know a couple of lads who used to work at Jessops when at college/uni, and are now full time togs, and they certainly knew there stuff when working there.

The high st vs internet battle has taken a few scalps now, and I really don't think it's fair. I've done some work for Waterstones, and they really are struggling in the face of competition from Amazon, despite selling at a loss on some titles to try & bring in trade. The main reason? Big online retailers running their operations off-shore and dodging VAT & other taxes, enabling them to undercut the high street. Yes, you save a few quid on your lens, book or whatever, but at the same time, the taxman therefore the entire country loses out, and some poor sods end up losing their jobs, costing the taxman even more when they have to go sign on.

In reply to rallymania:

well it is true it was announced friday.

In reply to TryfAndy:

Big Online retailers could just ship everything from lets say Luxembourg instead of the UK warehouses. and the country would loose out on a lot of jobs in said warehouses, and it would still not mean anymore trade to Waterstone or Jessops.

Internet stores are taking the sales whether they are based in this country or not.

In reply to Neil Williams: Yay! My album arrived and was everything I had hoped!

In reply to TryfAndy:

A lot of Waterstones problems stem from missmanagement. At one point the Waterstones website used to link to the Amazon website :-P But their biggest competition is actually the supermarkets, it's the easy to shift bestsellers that the supermarkets have taken over. I also think selling the Kindle in Waterstones isn't the best idea. At least they got rid of the 'hub' that was a silly idea.