Big cuts at Jessops announced

[DPNow]

Jessops, the UK's largest specialist photographic retailer is to close a quarter of its stores and make 550 people redundant, it was revealed this morning.

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[Ian]

Re: Big cuts at Jessops announced

Jessops, the UK's largest specialist photographic retailer is to close a quarter of its stores and make 550 people redundant, it was revealed this morning.

More...

It's very difficult to see how Jessops can get out of this mess. The stores are no longer the kind of places where photographers can buy really specialist kit. Anything like this is only available to special order and even then they sometimes can't get what you want at all.

Instead, they are competing against the likes of Argos catalogue outlets and Dixons/Currys/PC World and Comet general electrical and computer retailers in the high street.

And their prices are rarely competitive unless you get them to price match.

Does anyone here have a good word to say about their local store? Is your store for the chop?

Ian

[peter]

Re: Big cuts at Jessops announced

Does anyone here have a good word to say about their local store? Is your store for the chop?

We have a store over which I do look into most weeks when I pop into town. It is one of only two camera shops that we have over here and I would say it does do good deals but no where near the sort of deals that are to be had on the net. Which is I guess where most shops of this sort fall down.

Do you have a list or has one been posted anywhere that says which shops are to close.

[coupekid]

Re: Big cuts at Jessops announced

It's very difficult to see how Jessops can get out of this mess. The stores are no longer the kind of places where photographers can buy really specialist kit. Anything like this is only available to special order and even then they sometimes can't get what you want at all.

Instead, they are competing against the likes of Argos catalogue outlets and Dixons/Currys/PC World and Comet general electrical and computer retailers in the high street.

And their prices are rarely competitive unless you get them to price match.

Does anyone here have a good word to say about their local store? Is your store for the chop?

Ian

Well, I think it really depends on who you get to talk to in there.

I believe that had they been a little more selective in who they employ, then potentially things could have been different.

In the times that I have been in my local store, my experiences have varied dramatically. There is a girl in there which I sometimes speak, and she is extremely knowledgable, and always keen to help and answer any questions. If she doesnt have the answer, she will phone around other stores until she does have. If they dont have what I want to buy, again, she will phone around, find it, offer to have it bought to the local store. Which is perfect!

However, other times I have gone in there, I can get some spotty oik, who just cant be bothered! An example of this, is when I was buying my flash gun, I was asking lots of questions, being answered with responses like 'dunno' etc. No passion for photography, and clearly, just a Saturday job to him.

I also think that online stores shouldnt be dismissed as part of the cause. I have recently bought a 2GB memory card on line with Amazon (well through Amazon, it was MyMemory I think) for 17pounds, the exact same card was in Jessops for close to 70pounds! so where would you go?

[devilgas]

Re: Big cuts at Jessops announced

on the whole, i've had good service from the cardiff jessops, but have found it really does depend on who you are served by. on the few occasions i've tried price match, admittedly on small stuff like memory cards, it's been turned down so i bought elsewhere.

[Ian]

Re: Big cuts at Jessops announced

Interestingly, Jessops say that the remaining stores are profitable.

I do agree that the variability in staff is huge. But more of a concern is that much of what's in the Jessops catalogue is no longer stocked in stores, so you have to wait up to several weeks for a special order to be turned around.

Ian

[Stephen]

Re: Big cuts at Jessops announced

I remember when the Jessops catalogue was printed on a broadsheet paper and you could spend hours poring over it. The shop was more like a trade warehouse. How times have changed.