Jessops - are they going under?
Discussion
17 more stores around the country are to close, mostly in the less populated parts of Scotland, Wales and England, coupled with 180 job losses.
This just seems to reinforce the widely held view that the eventual demise of Jessops is inevitable and just a matter of time.
Would Jessops be widely missed if they closed down completely?
This just seems to reinforce the widely held view that the eventual demise of Jessops is inevitable and just a matter of time.
Would Jessops be widely missed if they closed down completely?
They're certainly changing.
The one around the corner from me no longer stocks any L-series glass...
Last time they had most of them (beyond the 2.8's) upto the 70-200 IS.
Now they have none at all...
ETA and I would miss them, some very knowledgeable people have helped me there!
The one around the corner from me no longer stocks any L-series glass...
Last time they had most of them (beyond the 2.8's) upto the 70-200 IS.
Now they have none at all...
ETA and I would miss them, some very knowledgeable people have helped me there!
Edited by LukeBird on Thursday 5th March 14:34
Well I was in the Jessops in byres road a few days before it closed. Not a mention that it was about to close, Infact they had new stock a 70-300 lens for me to drool over, It wasn't outragusly priced either.
There website has a lot of out of stock notices which suggests that its not in good helth,
There website has a lot of out of stock notices which suggests that its not in good helth,
Edited by stu_the_flat on Thursday 5th March 14:56
I'm not so sure it's Jessops themselves, I dont think they're being helped by their vendors or competition.
I usually stock check them against others to see who's got it and where they are on price. If it's something I want to play with first, I'll try it in Jessops and probably buy it there as well. Not morally keen on trying there, then buying online - it just doesnt sit right with me
Problem that they and a fair few others have had recently is stock rotation. Presume that they're either doing price protection of some description or the vendors/distributors are holding off supplying in the quantity they did 6 months ago incase anyone goes pop
Fair few Nikon outlets seem to be having the same stock problems as I found out recently with an SB600 and an 85mm 1.8
The bigger issue with that is those who dont have the stock dont get the sale, if I know what I want I'll keep ringing around til I find somewhere with it in stock rather than leave it on 2 week backorder
I usually stock check them against others to see who's got it and where they are on price. If it's something I want to play with first, I'll try it in Jessops and probably buy it there as well. Not morally keen on trying there, then buying online - it just doesnt sit right with me
Problem that they and a fair few others have had recently is stock rotation. Presume that they're either doing price protection of some description or the vendors/distributors are holding off supplying in the quantity they did 6 months ago incase anyone goes pop
Fair few Nikon outlets seem to be having the same stock problems as I found out recently with an SB600 and an 85mm 1.8
The bigger issue with that is those who dont have the stock dont get the sale, if I know what I want I'll keep ringing around til I find somewhere with it in stock rather than leave it on 2 week backorder
4hero said:
I would miss them, great bunch of guys in the Shandwick Place one in Edinburgh, and two minutes from work 
Buy all of my gear from them.
Agree 100% I really hope they stick around. Buy all of my gear from them.Some superb staff in Shandwick Place. They have caused me to abandon internet buying in the last year - great to be high st shopping again, especially if warranty issues.
I've recently had a Canon 100mm f2.8 and a Sigma 10-22mm off them. On both lenses (after applying a special offer which I only later discovered shouldn't have been applied to lenses) they were within a tenner of the best price I could find anywhere on the web, and I didn't have to wait.
I hope they stay.
I hope they stay.
Hmmm. I would really miss them as a high street retailer. Not everything can be bought online as delivery times are usually dubious and unreliable, and there's nothing like handing over the money and having it in your hand there and then.
In regards to price, I was after a new Olympus Tough 6000 compact for the gf's birthday. No other high street retailers had it, only Jessops. Checked against WarehouseExpress and they were £50 dearer. Jessops offered to 'price match' as W.E. are primary competitors, but after the manager had a look he could only get the price to within £20, which wasn't close enough to sway me to avoid the online headaches.
Ended up ordering it from W.E. and received it the next day saving myself £50.
10 points to WarehouseExpress
In regards to price, I was after a new Olympus Tough 6000 compact for the gf's birthday. No other high street retailers had it, only Jessops. Checked against WarehouseExpress and they were £50 dearer. Jessops offered to 'price match' as W.E. are primary competitors, but after the manager had a look he could only get the price to within £20, which wasn't close enough to sway me to avoid the online headaches.
Ended up ordering it from W.E. and received it the next day saving myself £50.
10 points to WarehouseExpress
Holst said:
They gave me a good price when I bought my little panasonic LX3.
But if they hadnt had one avalable in the shop I would have bought online rather than have them order it in.
If they cant keep up good stock levels in the stores then they are going to lose out on alot of sales.
That's a little harsh, given that they can usually get things in by the next morning, which is quicker than the majority of online retailers.But if they hadnt had one avalable in the shop I would have bought online rather than have them order it in.
If they cant keep up good stock levels in the stores then they are going to lose out on alot of sales.
I hear they borrowed £50M last year - so if they go phut now, that's another £50M a bank will have to write off/get back from the taxpayer.
But we have only ourselves to blame - how many times have we said 'Go and see it Jessops, then buy it cheaper on the net' or 'I can find the Canikon X90 for £399.99 but has anyone seen it for £399.98?'. The interweb is a great leveller and boxes shift, but it's probably not the best way to a healthy economy.
But we have only ourselves to blame - how many times have we said 'Go and see it Jessops, then buy it cheaper on the net' or 'I can find the Canikon X90 for £399.99 but has anyone seen it for £399.98?'. The interweb is a great leveller and boxes shift, but it's probably not the best way to a healthy economy.
john185k said:
I have 200 quid of vouchers to spend so they better give ample notice if they are. The only thing I will miss is laughing at how expensive they are compared to other stores.
They don't help themselves - although I have just got an email through saying 20 % off all instore stock...
If you have vouchers when the liquidators are called in, then officially you are a debtor like the rest and you will have to wait to get a proportion if any of your money back. It is what happened recently with Zavvi.They don't help themselves - although I have just got an email through saying 20 % off all instore stock...
I would spend it on anything useful IMHO.
It is lovely to be able to walk into a store and ask questions and try things out.
It worked brilliantly 10 years ago, as the only competition was who had the best retail store for you to get to and use. Retaillers like Jessops, PC World and the like made a fortune.
When a decent chunk of their business goes to the internet, then they will struggle to survive, and bring their prices and margins down. When the majority of the business goes to the internet, then they are a dead duck - they can't slash their prices to compete with the net as they have much higher overheads and they can't just downsize as the whole reason why a 'shop' has a benefit is because they have a wide stock of items there and then for you to buy, and they are physically close to you.
The 'recession' will maybe be the last nail in the coffin, but it is simply the market changing over the last decade. That is not going to get any better for them.
Sticking my finger in the air for Jessops - months not years left unless their retail base is severely slashed.
The one in St Annes is boarded up so whilst I was passing the Blackpool store I dropped in to bu a £450 lens. First words from 'salesman' sic "we're closing" me "Have you got a Nikon 16-85mm etc.." Him "don't keep that in stock" then he ushered me out. Not a word about order on-line collect at shop, order on-line and get delivered etc etc. No wonder they're dying. Buffoon! The St Annes one was staffed with people who knew their customers and would treat people who wanted to buy with courtesy not contempt.
Oh well on-line it is and it wont be Jessops.
Oh well on-line it is and it wont be Jessops.
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff