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News & Views from the World of Photography Discussion on the Latest News in the World of Photography

Jessops

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  #21  
Old 08-11-09, 19:24
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Nowadays I go to a bigger retailer like Currys or PC World to try out new kit--though I usually end up comparing the new digicams to the old stuff-- staff is more knowledgable (usually 1 person who sort of knows as opposed to 5 fools in Jessops), there is just as much choice and better prices.
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  #22  
Old 08-11-09, 23:59
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Alex - Somewhat different to my experience of Currys/PC World/Dixons (and I'm not alone - Just take a read on the PC forums). The staff in the stores I've visited have the knowledge to stack the shelves and open the boxes, thats about it. The camera range is not exactly extensive and if you want something as rare () as an 85mm prime lens, you can forget it.
I'm not saying Jessops is perfect by anymeans, but at least most have a good knowledge of the stuff they sell and in our local are very keen to help.

I think Jessops main problem is the number of shops they took over in the nineties. That was pure greed, just wanting to get shot of the competition. I can't remember where I saw it (somewhere in Scotland I think), but they had 2 stores on the same street that had previously been independant camera shops.
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  #23  
Old 08-11-09, 23:59
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Good point Alex. DSG group (currys & PC world in the uk) do have much better buying power, and the co-ordination of their imaging stock has improved vastly in the last couple of years. As one of the area managers once said to me, they are deliberately targeting areas and weaknesses of retailers selling similar mainstream imaging products. Reading between the lines way back when I worked for them I could see these products were ironically proping up none existant laptop profits. Back then PC World were actually making a loss, where Currys were turning a reasonable (but not brilliant) profit. I also suspect that since then, this is one of the reasons why you can also buy many imaging products now at PC world. In a way, the stock choice in the two stores could also indicate some loss of identity too (though I think it'll be a while before PC World stock cookers and fridge freezers!) lol
As far as prices go, I'm always looking at prices and current deals, and can honestly say that Jessop prices, on average, have come down recently.
I am a little confused at the ramblings of some here, but I do try to base my opinion re prices of current findings, but also appreciate that general Jessop past fiascos have probably left a bitter taste in many peoples mouths.
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Last edited by Joe; 09-11-09 at 00:19.
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  #24  
Old 09-11-09, 00:12
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Quote:
they had 2 stores on the same street that had previously been independant camera shops.
thats old news. much of that was due to lease/ rent contracts which have since expired.

Why would you look for an 85mm lens in Currys? Thats bonkers! In the same way you wouldn't look for a commercial franking machine in WHSmith (but they sell stationary related goods, don't they?! lol)
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  #25  
Old 09-11-09, 05:12
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Joe,
Why take over two shops if not with the intent of closing the competition, thats got nothing to do with property rental/leasing?

And my point about the 85mm lens was that even though it's one of the most common consumer level (the f1.8) Canon primes, they don't stock it at at any of the Currys I've been in. Which kind of negates Alexes point about going into to try stuff. Maybe back in the '80's (When it was still Dixons) but the one here stopped selling SLRs back in the '90's and only recently restarted when they changed the name/brand from Dixons.
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  #26  
Old 09-11-09, 17:41
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The Dixons in Reading where I live has 5 main cabinets, Canon, Nikon and Pentax/Olympus SLR bodies and lenses each. By that I mean 10 bodies and 3 lenses in one cabinet. The other 2 are for compacts. The cabinets are also locked, whereas PC World and Currys have those alarm thingies that means you can try the stuff without calling a dimwit over to unlock the cabinet for you.

London Camera Exchange, on the other hand, is a whole different story =)
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  #27  
Old 09-11-09, 21:18
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Deci,
I've actually worked for both Jessops and Currys. Whilst you may think this is the ramblings /moanings of yet another goader, unlike some, I do actually know what I'm taking about here. The duplicate stores seen up and down the country (and empty stores now closed down but still with the Jessop frontage/ boards) is due to the, sometimes, long rental lease agreements signed up to. The Jessops branch at the Fort retail park Manchester, for example, has only just technically become available for another retailer to move in. That's near TWO YEARS after it closed for trading. In the eyes of the accountants it was seen as either an option to sublet in the meantime, unfortunately in this case of no takers, remain empty, but most definately never to open for trading. The rental paid over this period to the first available opt out at the end of the term had already been accounted for and written off also incidentally during the period of passing (ie selling) much of the 'clearance' stock to a separate holding company (not owned by Jessops) at the time. In other cases/stores the store was deemed to be one where the stock was redistributed, which in many cases, included premises previously occupied by the 'competitor' camera shop bought by Jessops. Bizarrely, as has been pointed out, sometimes across the road or next door to a 'regular' Jessops. Sometimes both stores may have looked 'regular' (and sometimes one would be regular, the other a clearance store), but I can assure you, whilst the staff and store costs may have been paid from the same Jessop Head office money pot, the stock was actually owned by different holding companies, and sold on behalf of Jessop staff, issuing Jessop receipts, with the understanding that the Holding company would've paid Jessop a lump sum up front to basically get them out of the immediate shit (though store it for a future time in effect). During this period the Jessops group needed a quick fix, and selling some of their stock was the short term answer. Therfore, as this coincided with lease agreements being tied to set terms which they simply had to do something with (ie they HAD to remain trading on those premises) Jessop had no option but to duplicate stores.
I can appreciate that on the outside looking in, it may have indeed looked like Jessop had bought the competition out (incidentally Techno did the right thing) and opened a duplicate store, but in some cases, Techno being one, Jessop did over stretch themselves, which also coincided with The Jessop group ltd floating on the stock market. However, I guess looking back many ill advised directions were taken, but always keeping the share holders happy!... but that's another thing!

Currys don't stock, and probably never will, stock specialist kit (in your eyes an 85mm 1.8 may not seem specialist, but the eyes of a mainsteam store, it most certainly is). It simply does not shift off the shelves fast enough, and doesn't make a large enough margin, with lack of KPI opportunity. Space has to earn it's keep in a shop, and that doesn't include the time spent by the clowns and dreamers looking at specialist kit they either can't afford or simply have no intention of buying. It's pure economics, which ironically is the same reason those specialist bits of kit usually get put on an optional special order if you want it from the high street, or people order online.
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Last edited by Joe; 09-11-09 at 21:28.
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  #28  
Old 09-11-09, 21:42
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from memory I think the lease at the fort branch was for a fixed term of six years, as they got a cheaper deal at the time of opening. At the time at was probably the right thing to do, but in hindsight it ended up costing them big time. I believe that decisions like this meant Jessops as a whole became very rigid, and couldn't adapt with the times fast enough.
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  #29  
Old 09-11-09, 21:47
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Believe it or not London Camera Exchange are also in the shit financially. One of my colleagues is the guy who rewrote their used database and started their s/h prices guide for store colleagues.....but reading between the lines he got out while he could.
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  #30  
Old 10-11-09, 03:31
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Thanks for that insight into both Jessops and Dixons business models (for want of a better term) Joe. Doesn't stop the manager of Currys here being a total meglamaniacal idiot though (I've got a Btech 5 in Avionics and he was trying to convince me the item I took back was working fine, it was user error)
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Death thought about it.
"Cats," he said eventually. "Cats are nice."

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