# Jessops



## Simonipswich (Jan 9, 2013)

Sadly the first victim of 2013, Jessops has gone into administration today.


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## explorer101 (Jan 9, 2013)

I just read about this, was hoping to get a new camera for my birthday from there... not too sure what is happening now with them  

L x


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## wirelessmast (Jan 9, 2013)

Just got my new A37 DSLR from them, bought online on 18month interest free. Might be a chance of some bargain extras.

Be nice if the administrator wrote off any debt owed by customers...


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## Bones out (Jan 9, 2013)

Pah, got three memory cards on order from them via Groupon...... Judderman, I reckon we can kiss them cheap babies goodbye.


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## MrDan (Jan 10, 2013)

Bonesout said:


> Pah, got three memory cards on order from them via Groupon...... Judderman, I reckon we can kiss them cheap babies goodbye.



I ordered one of those too. Should get them as they're only in liquidation.


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## Bones out (Jan 10, 2013)

MrDan said:


> I ordered one of those too. Should get them as they're only in liquidation.




Said something on Radio 4 about " not honouring returns or vouchers ". Groupon are vouchers, no?? 

When did you order yours?


We shall see....


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## MrDan (Jan 10, 2013)

Ordered mine on Friday.


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## UEP-Wales (Jan 10, 2013)

They will mean gift vouchers I think Bones. If they were all ready ordered then you should be fine. Best to check direct though. A shame to see Jessops go, sure they are overpriced but I like the option to actually collect it from store rather than trust Mr Postman!


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## Ramsgatonian (Jan 10, 2013)

It is a shame, but as previously mentioned there were grossly overpriced and I never bought anything from them...


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## krela (Jan 10, 2013)

wirelessmast said:


> Be nice if the administrator wrote off any debt owed by customers...



Never gonna happen! If the company is sold the new owner will collect the debt, otherwise if the company is wound down your debt will be sold on to a third party company who will collect it.


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## TeeJF (Jan 10, 2013)

To be honest I'm not sad to see Jessops fold... I haven't bought that much from them (on line that is) but every time I have it has taken ages to arrive and more than once there have been problems. Apparently one of their tricks was to advertise stuff on line they didn't actually have in stock, take your money and then order it from the manufacturer, hence a double or worse turn around time. 

It's areal bummer for people who have stuff that is yet to arrive though. I wonder what will happen about that?

Good luck if you have, I hope it resolves in a satisfactory fashion.


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## fragglehunter (Jan 10, 2013)

MrDan said:


> I ordered one of those too. Should get them as they're only in liquidation.



Judders has received a part order so far it would seem


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## cogito (Jan 10, 2013)

Only thing I've ever bought from Jessops was a flash, and that was only because I needed it within the hour otherwise I'd have got it cheaper elsewhere.

They failed to adapt their business model to a rapidly changing age. When I hear the press about them being the last remaining British camera retail chain I think what a load of b*llocks, nowadays there are hundreds of British camera retailers but they've all had the sense to sell online from a single (or just a handful of) warehouse premises to avoid the massive overheads associated with running hundreds of shops. Corporate Darwinism.


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## rectory-rat (Jan 10, 2013)

I have Jessops giftcards from Christmas I haven't spent yet! Hope they'll still accept them...

~RR


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## night crawler (Jan 10, 2013)

I've never been a fan of Jessops as I always thought them overpriced and I hated being pounced on by the assistants but saying that I did go in and play with cameras there to try them out. Lately I did think they were getting more competitively priced and would point people there to try out a camera it is down to them if they want to buy there. It’s a sad day when an established firm like that does get in that position I hope they manage to stay open or where will many people get their camera from or advice on buying one.


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## fragglehunter (Jan 10, 2013)

rectory-rat said:


> I have Jessops giftcards from Christmas I haven't spent yet! Hope they'll still accept them...
> 
> ~RR



Sorry the boat has sailed on that one I'm afraid to say


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## Judderman62 (Jan 10, 2013)

yep I've had one of three arrive - waiting to see if other two do too.

Have read somewhere that as you buy through groupon there should be some protection so will leave til early next week and then start looking in to it.

I believe they have already stated that gift vouchers will not be honoured - and I got a £35 voucher as my leaving gift when i changed jobs which will now be worthless.

Meh stuff 'appens.


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## krela (Jan 10, 2013)

Groupon will refund the vouchers if they're not redeemable. Groupon are pretty good like that.


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## Bones out (Jan 10, 2013)

The only thing TBH I used Jessops for, was ordering my darkroom chemicals on line then collecting from store, or I did until the building next door burnt down forcing them to close. Their new store was to far away for Cpt. lazy here to walk to.

They were fine in the old days pre digital and stocked everything the hobbyist required, but now the whole world are photographers, having stock in store overpriced in comparison gathering dust was never going to be a winner......


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## MrDan (Jan 10, 2013)

I paid through paypal anyway so meh.


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## Derelict-UK (Jan 10, 2013)

cogito said:


> When I hear the press about them being the last remaining British camera retail chain I think what a load of b*llocks, nowadays there are hundreds of British camera retailers but they've all had the sense to sell online from a single (or just a handful of) warehouse premises to avoid the massive overheads associated with running hundreds of shops. Corporate Darwinism.




I think they probably mean High Street chain, although that is still bollocks as there is Wilkinson Cameras up north.


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## night crawler (Jan 10, 2013)

There is also London Camera Exchange and Park Cameras which I use.


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## jhluxton (Jan 10, 2013)

I must admit to being a little sad to see Jessops run onto the retail rocks having once made much use of their services many years back.

However, the company has been suffering a lingering death for some years and it is surprising they have managed to keep going so long.

Their problems go back a long way - way before the arrival of the mutifunction devices such as tablets and mobiles with their built in cameras. These really only appeal to the former happy snappy amateurs who probably only bought a budget camera from a chemists back in film days of a budget digital from a supermarket or electrical chain store. 

Jessops were once the serious amateur and professionals outlet. They became too mass market when that market started to evaporate they lost business.

Jessops really built their reputation in the late 70s and early 80s when they used to have a great couple of pages of some of the best prices on non grey imports in the UK posted weekly in Amateur Photographer.

They would also mail you their price list which was crammed with bargains when I first got into serious photography in my late teens I was a regular mail order customer. They had the best prices on bulk buy Agfa CT18/21 processed paid slide film that you could get.

Back then they just had a big dealership in Leicester without all the high street branches that they subsequently acquired. 

Bristol was I think their first branch located at Clifton went there a few times on my trips down west country. But as the number of branches increased the discounts decreased - it was going that way even before the internet really became established. My last major purchase from them was 1996/7 when I bought the Contax rangefinder gear - my last 35mm outfit, by then they were losing the edge on price discounts.

As they moved to the web Jessops also appeared to reduce the range of cameras / accessories sold not stocking everything produced by certain manufacturers and even giving up completely on some products at least in the Liverpool store. Last time I went in there was around 2005 when I was looking for a Billingham bag for a colleagues retirement present. I recall they once stocked the complete range of Billingham bags and had bought my first from their Bristol shop in 1982, I think in 2005 they had virtually none. I see some are still listed on the web site - but there isn't the complete range.

I sometimes wonder if they might have survived - their original mail order model would have transferred well to the web without the expense of all the high street branches in towns throughout the land. Whilst a few well stocked regional branches would have been okay going mass market just made things difficult in the end.


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## shatners (Jan 11, 2013)

Im sad to see them go, mainly because the manager of our local store was fairly liberal on his price matching which meant I could go pick things up same day rather than risk kit getting battered in the post and he would match most online prices providing they were not dodgy grey import deals.

I think their biggest problem is they had nothing to offer the phtographer, it was all geared towards point and shoot consumers. I cant go to Sheffield without going into Harrison Cameras and gazing longingly at all their Canon kit, high end bodies, specialist lenses, L series kit, second hand bargains, really good trade in scheme and walls of accessories where as Jessops I would never even go through the door because it was the inevitable glass cabinet of basic DSLR bodies with low end kit lenses...it was no different to looking at the camera section in Currys... meh.

Sad to see them go, and really sorry for the guys who work there... its a shit time to be out of work.


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## fragglehunter (Jan 11, 2013)

We are lucky in Bolton to have two cracking photography shops left http://www.mathersoflancashire.co.uk/ and http://www.fotosense.co.uk/ in addition to Jessops, we did have another called Wildings which sadly fell by the wayside.

I did do all my printing at Jessops, but I found a lot of the bits (caps/filters etc) very over priced and to be honest our local branch had become nothing but a showroom/orderpoint with printshop and bugger all stock.


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## explorer101 (Jan 12, 2013)

Jessops has officially closed


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## cogito (Jan 12, 2013)

http://www.bjp-online.com/british-j.../administrators-shuts-down-all-jessops-stores


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## krela (Jan 12, 2013)

If you have got groupon vouchers for memory cards that you have not yet redeemed you may well be able to get a refund from groupon as they don't pay the supplier for the deal until the voucher is redeemed.


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## mookster (Jan 12, 2013)

So now Oxford has zero camera shops.

Luckily Reading has a London Camera Exhange and an independent shop called Station Cameras, where I got my second-hand but mint Canon zoom lens late last year...


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## flyboys90 (Jan 12, 2013)

R.I.P etc


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## megaangelic (Jan 12, 2013)

They have been going out of business for years, a friend of mine was made redundant in their first round of store closures 6 years ago, the internet is just so much cheaper.


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## Ace5150 (Jan 12, 2013)

Can't say Im sorry. Jessops rounded up all the small independant stores that had knowledgeable and informative staff that knew their stuff. They got rid of the majority of those staff and replaced them with staff whos sole objective was to boost sales. Last week, I brought a canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens for £79.99 from Argos...........the exact same one at Jessops was £104.99, you can't justify that!
Coventry has a small independant shop whos staff are very good, and has an excellent reputation.....I use them every time I need advice.


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## wirelessmast (Jan 12, 2013)

krela said:


> Never gonna happen! If the company is sold the new owner will collect the debt, otherwise if the company is wound down your debt will be sold on to a third party company who will collect it.



Just a spot of wishful thinking 

The debt officially is with V12 finance, but hey, Sony are giving me £50 cash back

Interestingly its the first time ive ever had a courtesy call from a finance company checking everything arrived and im happy with it!

Seems im officially one of the last customers. Real shame theyve gone, dont think theres any camera shops within 40miles of me now, the independant i used to use in Leeds closed years back


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## wirelessmast (Jan 12, 2013)

jhluxton said:


> Jessops really built their reputation in the late 70s and early 80s when they used to have a great couple of pages of some of the best prices on non grey imports in the UK posted weekly in Amateur Photographer.
> 
> They would also mail you their price list which was crammed with bargains when I first got into serious photography in my late teens I was a regular mail order customer. They had the best prices on bulk buy Agfa CT18/21 processed paid slide film that you could get.
> 
> Back then they just had a big dealership in Leicester without all the high street branches that they subsequently acquired.



Years ago, in the late 80s when i first got into electronics, Maplin had exactly the same business model. One massive warehouse (Rayleigh in Essex, then Barnsley), one shop, and the rest mail order. Their catalogue was more of a technical manual and something we looked forward to getting. Then they started opening shops everywhere. For a while they still concentrated on the hobbiest, and it was still great rummaging the boxes of stock in the shops. But then they went PCs and gimmicky toys, mass market tat, and overpriced. They lost the knowledgable hobbiest staff in favour of student part timers with no interest and no idea. You have to check every component you buy in there now. Theyve lost the electronics hobbiest to the remaining specialist shops and to ebay.

I can seriously see Maplin going to the wall as well this year. Its just a fundamental failure to see the writing on the wall and adapt accordingly.


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## Goldie87 (Jan 12, 2013)

Its a shame to see another local company go, their head office is only down the road from me. Having said that they were pretty crap, I always preferred to go Jacobs instead. Went Jessops for something before Christmas, they said they had it in stock and made us stand around for ages, before telling us they actually didn't have it. They then offered a display model, but we couldn't have any discount on it. Ended up just walking out in the end.


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## sYnc_below (Jan 12, 2013)

They've sucked for ages and deserve it by not adapting.

(Park Camera's suck too btw)

try WEX


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## nelly (Jan 13, 2013)

Sadly Jessops has gone the same way as all the retail outlets, us oldies will remember them demise of butchers shops, green grocers and the like, the interweb has fucked high street shopping and as long as buyers demand a cheap price then it will always be so, 10 years into the future the only stores that will exist will be the "buy my shopping store", tescos, asda etc....

Take Comet, I like many others used Comet like an Argos catalogue, go and have a look, feel the product and then buy it online and save £200.

Its sad but it is consumer economics


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## harriethorne (Jan 13, 2013)

I'll miss Jessops. 
The branch we had in Leicester was amazing! 
The guys there were always helpful and fixed anything that went wrong or if I had a problem.
I'm sad that they've lost there jobs. and to everyone else who has. 
but there really arn't any other actual camera shops anymore now. which is a shame. because like someone said relying on the postman isn't always good. Plus you wanna see what you're buying. Well I do.


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## magmo (Jan 13, 2013)

wirelessmast said:


> Years ago, in the late 80s when i first got into electronics, Maplin had exactly the same business model. One massive warehouse (Rayleigh in Essex, then Barnsley), one shop, and the rest mail order. Their catalogue was more of a technical manual and something we looked forward
> 
> I can seriously see Maplin going to the wall as well this year. Its just a fundamental failure to see the writing on the wall and adapt accordingly.



I can see Maplin coing that way this year, you only have to go in to see how quiet it is. A little while ago I found a Maplin Catalouge from the 80's... It was a great read....


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## 12quidkidinnit (Jan 14, 2013)

The scary thing is, if the economy carries on like this, all we'll be left with soon, is Tescos, Halfords and Burger King. Some shops are internet proof, such as barbers shops and hairdressers, as you can't get a mail order haircut. I suppose funeral directors will still do alright, unless someone invents virtual funerals, where everyone stays at home and attends the service via skype.

I've always found Jessops expensive. I used them as a means of sussing out some lens options, then I sourced one cheaper online.


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## rectory-rat (Jan 14, 2013)

I bought my DSLR from our local Jessops, mainly because I knew nothing about photography and wanted advice not just an eBay bid. Considering I was spending a reasonable amount, I thought staff might've been pleasant, friendly and knowledgable. They were none of those. So I'm not that sad to see them go. Online shopping it is...


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## Ramsgatonian (Jan 14, 2013)

And now HMV too! Very sad, I dread to think what the high street will look like after another 5 years!


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## lost (Jan 14, 2013)

Ramsgatonian said:


> And now HMV too! Very sad, I dread to think what the high street will look like after another 5 years!



Maybe the death of these chains will open up the high street to small independent shops.


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## Ramsgatonian (Jan 15, 2013)

lost said:


> Maybe the death of these chains will open up the high street to small independent shops.



That is a hope, but where I live there seems to be a trade shop opening every month on the high street. They're just full of junkies and chavs selling stolen goods. It's a shame to compare this with the image of Ramsgate in its heyday...


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## Ace5150 (Jan 15, 2013)

I think Blockbusters will be gone soon.....ALWAYS deserted, OTT charges per film, and dodgy fuckers like me who get films in advance then flog them on. I had Django Unchained last week...........it doesn't open here till 18th January!!


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## sweet pea (Jan 15, 2013)

well jsssops shops have closed but more on this story as it develops  anybody from herts way try srs in watford


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## magmo (Jan 15, 2013)

sweet pea said:


> well jsssops shops have closed but more on this story as it develops  anybody from herts way try srs in watford



I used SRS once in Watford. For what I got they were cheeper than what people on Flebay wanted second hand.


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## sweet pea (Jan 15, 2013)

there local to me its family owned and competetive prices


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## 12quidkidinnit (Jan 15, 2013)

Ramsgatonian said:


> I dread to think what the high street will look like after another 5 years!


A housing estate probably.



Ace5150 said:


> I think Blockbusters will be gone soon....


Wouldn't surprise me. The one near me is rumoured to be closing soon. Bob Holness would be turning in his grave....

I blame the bankers, who are bleeding this country dry by the way they manipulate and control the money supply. By acting the way they do, they will eventually own everything. 

http://www.lovethetruth.com/truth_about_money.htm


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## UrbanX (Jan 15, 2013)

Where am I supposed to go to try stuff before buying it cheaper online?


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## night crawler (Jan 16, 2013)

mookster said:


> So now Oxford has zero camera shops.
> 
> Luckily Reading has a London Camera Exhange and an independent shop called Station Cameras, where I got my second-hand but mint Canon zoom lens late last year...


Think you might be wrong there but I will check.


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## krela (Jan 16, 2013)

Ace5150 said:


> I think Blockbusters will be gone soon.....ALWAYS deserted, OTT charges per film, and dodgy fuckers like me who get films in advance then flog them on. I had Django Unchained last week...........it doesn't open here till 18th January!!



Psychic?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21047652


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## Richard Davies (Jan 16, 2013)

krela said:


> Psychic?
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21047652



I did hear a while ago that the American Blockbusters had been having money troubles.

The growth of on demand films & cheap DVDs to buy outright have eaten into their market.


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## Ace5150 (Jan 16, 2013)

I know! Scared the crap out of me.............if only I could predict the lottery numbers! Its no real suprise though. I think Thorntons will be up soon.....why go to their outlets when ASDA and Sainsburys stock Thorntons at 30% their RRP.


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## krela (Jan 16, 2013)

Incidentally the current chief exec of HMV who went into administration yesterday was chief exec at Jessops up until Nov 2012. Coincidence?!

I doubt he'll get too many job offers any time soon!


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## Ace5150 (Jan 16, 2013)

krela said:


> Incidentally the current chief exec of HMV who went into administration yesterday was chief exec at Jessops up until Nov 2012. Coincidence?!
> 
> I doubt he'll get too many job offers any time soon!



He'll still have 2 corporate pensions sorted out, you can be sure of that!


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## Ramsgatonian (Jan 16, 2013)

UrbanX said:


> Where am I supposed to go to try stuff before buying it cheaper online?



I've done this for motorbike helmets! My head shape means that I can't just buy any online in my size - they always have tight spots. I've been to my local motorbike shop three times now just trying on helmets! I do feel bad, but it's the law of the jungle out there!


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## night crawler (Jan 17, 2013)

mookster said:


> So now Oxford has zero camera shops.
> 
> Luckily Reading has a London Camera Exhange and an independent shop called Station Cameras, where I got my second-hand but mint Canon zoom lens late last year...



T4 in Witney is the nearest to you


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## Angelus (Jan 19, 2013)

krela said:


> Never gonna happen! If the company is sold the new owner will collect the debt, otherwise if the company is wound down your debt will be sold on to a third party company who will collect it.



I suspect this is wrong. Jessops already have the money and the customer will be paying off someone else who has already paid Jessops. Its a loan.


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## Angelus (Jan 19, 2013)

magmo said:


> I can see Maplin coing that way this year, you only have to go in to see how quiet it is. A little while ago I found a Maplin Catalouge from the 80's... It was a great read....



No chance matey. Maplin have just paid off all their debts and are opening new stores left, right and centre. And they made a profit over Christmas and have done for the past 4 years.


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## MrDan (Jan 23, 2013)

Okay so you guys that had ordered the memory cards through groupon...
Groupon are sourcing the memory cards direct from the supplier (Sandisk) and are hoping to get them shipped out to customers asap.
The guy on the phone has asked me to add [email protected] to my e-mail contacts to ensure I receive any important e-mails from them, because I stated it had been 3 weeks with no contact or refund.


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