Jessops [UK camera retailer] closes

[Sith Zombie]

Sad news for it's staff and another blow to the uk high streets. With HMV sure to follow, its only going to be a few years until there is nothing left but coffee shops, eateries and clothes shops in city centres.
I just can't see the old business model of having a big 'bricks and mortar' presence working for a lot of companies now.

It got me thinking of these new 'Canon Stores', obviously it's a take on Apple stores and if it has a technical support area and a sensor cleaning/general servicing area, then cool right? Yeah, but how much revenue would come from people paying for the service as opposed to people using the warranty period? The only way I see them surviving the long run is if the in store prices can match popular online vendors. If a stores that sold a wide range of P&S's, Mirrorless, DSLR's, lenses and accessories from: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Samsung and others has gone bust, then what chance does a store chance if they just sell Canon products at max RRP?

Aping Apple is just not a smart move for most companies. If you buy a new mac [not older models] from the Apple store it will cost you 'lets say' '£1,000', if you buy it from the online Apple store it will cost you £1,000, if you buy it from another vendor it will cost you '£1,000'. Therefore, you feel comfortable walking into the store and shelling out the cash, knowing that it's not cheaper elsewhere.
You can still shop around for deals with camera gear and I doubt these Canon stores will offer the best prices.

 

[paul13walnut5]

I think you've hit the nail right on the head. If you are an authorised reseller then you must sell at Apple / Canons / Oakleys blah blah blah prices.

Independents may be able to compete in terms of discounts on add ons, such as cases (where there is considerable mark up) or clubcard points if you are tesco.

It's all about perceived brand value. And why the companies had a clause that Jessops return their stock rather than see a fire sale.

Canon may open up the CPS scheme as an added value incentive, or have training events, talks etc.

Unfortunately my experience of Apple Stores is that they've never opened up a mac pro, and all they want to do is get you on to the latest OS.

 

[bycostello]

you say another blow for the high street.. but how much do you buy on the web and how much on the high street...

 

[Sith Zombie]

you say another blow for the high street.. but how much do you buy on the web and how much on the high street...

Probably about 60/40 in favour of shops if I'm honest. I bought my Sony Nex 5N from Jessops and buy games and dvds from shops but I did most of my Christmas shopping online as I don't like the crowds. I still enjoy going to shops and browsing and have bought all my camera gear from stores [mainly Jacobs, that went bust also]
Yes, I believe it is a blow. It's more people unemployed and less interesting high streets but yet I also believe that you can't blame people for shopping online for cheaper prices, it's natural to want to spend less. It's just an unfortunate situation for some, that can't really be avoided.

 

[Sith Zombie]

I think you've hit the nail right on the head. If you are an authorised reseller then you must sell at Apple / Canons / Oakleys blah blah blah prices.

Independents may be able to compete in terms of discounts on add ons, such as cases (where there is considerable mark up) or clubcard points if you are tesco.

It's all about perceived brand value. And why the companies had a clause that Jessops return their stock rather than see a fire sale.

Canon may open up the CPS scheme as an added value incentive, or have training events, talks etc.

Unfortunately my experience of Apple Stores is that they've never opened up a mac pro, and all they want to do is get you on to the latest OS.

Yes! I'm still on good old Leopard :] I think Apple make their stores work finically by having a minimal amount in only major cities, which seems to be what Canon is planning with it's stores but I think another problem Canon stores will have is their product lifecycle: an L lens will outlast the buyer if treated well. Apple get by on the fact that alot of users update their products every few years. [except the MacBooks and iMacs, even though you'd be hard pressed to fix one nowadays with them glueing everything in place :-\]

 

[paul13walnut5]

My macbook pro turns 7 this year, and still going strong on Tiger my 8 year old mac mini (now relegated to music server) running panther, MacPro at work and main home machine iMac i7 are both on Snow Leopard.

Any problem the mantra is 'have you tried upgrading the OS' "Naw, it worked fine until yesterday, OS is nothing to do with it"

I don't think product life is too big a problem, folk used to hang on to their bodies for years as changes were usually very very incremental, folk changing bodies after a couple of years now, and will change lenses when things like zoom servos come in (again) or optic improve to match next leap in MP's

 

[dpinparis]

Perhaps the reason Canon has decided to have a physical presence on the high street is due to shops like Jessops closing down. A lot of people still like to physically hold a camera before deciding what to get. Imagine a world where all the stores like Jessops close. For Canon to have a store where people can physically try their cameras, still on the high street, could give them an advantage over competitors like Nikon, if Nikon fail to do the same. Perhaps the main purpose of the stores is marketing. If there are no longer any independent stores, in significant numbers at least, then the likes of Canon and Nikon may well have to open up stores to show off their gear.

 

[Sith Zombie]

I don't think product life is too big a problem, folk used to hang on to their bodies for years as changes were usually very very incremental, folk changing bodies after a couple of years now, and will change lenses when things like zoom servos come in (again) or optic improve to match next leap in MP's

Ok, thats a good point I didn't consider. Another area that could help the stores succeed is a big catalogue of used/refurb gear, with official guarantee?

 

[Sith Zombie]

For Canon to have a store where people can physically try their cameras, still on the high street, could give them an advantage over competitors like Nikon, if Nikon fail to do the same. Perhaps the main purpose of the stores is marketing.

That's a nice point about the marketing because as the downfall of jessops and Jacobs have shown, it's just not financially viable to have a big chain of physical camera stores anymore. A few well placed stores with some good features and services could serve Canon with marketing and perhaps double up as service centres.

 

[Loswr]

A lot of people still like to physically hold a camera before deciding what to get.

I think that's generally true, but more applicable at the lower end of the dSLR spectrum. The consumer-aimed Rebel/xxxD series represent the vast majority of dSLR sales, and those are sold at many 'big box' stores. A person who tries-then-buys an entry level dSLR becomes a brand owner, and that makes an online upgrade to an xxD or xD more likely.

Even so, I think these new Canon stores are likely to be quite analogous to Apple Stores - their main focus is going to be point-and-shoots, camcorders, and entry-level dSLRs, much like the prominent displays of multiple iPads/iPhones/iPods and MacBooks and some iMacs...and where's the Mac Pro? Tucked away in the corner.

 

[RustyTheGeek]

I don't live in the UK, I live in Arlington, Texas. Arlington is part of the DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) metroplex of cities. Some companies have tried to build stores and failed. Gateway computers was a good example. However, DELL had a much better idea - small kiosks in the mall corridors. I'm an IT computer guy so I see computers differently than some folks I guess but IMHO, following the Apple model is suicide. Apple has a strange attraction that no one else seems to be able to match. When you buy Apple, you buy a whole ecosystem. You drink the Kook-Aid. It's hypnotic. Before you know it, you've spent $3k when all you really needed was (maybe) a $1000 PC after buying MS Office. (And you can keep a PC running just as long as a mac.) What's also amazing is that you'll probably buy another $2K of Apple stuff in the next 6 months without even realizing it. I've had a couple clients that did that just for their home music and entertainment use. They still have PCs at home and the office to actually get something done. Don't get the wrong idea. I don't dislike Apple products. I'm just amazed at the prices they can get for what is essentially identical systems with a matte aluminum shell but without much software or driver support. People are buying the whole Apple experience, not just the hardware itself. That's something none of the competitors can match.

So back to the Canon dedicated store topic. I think Canon has been looking at the Apple model for quite a while. That's why the Canon prices have suddenly jumped in the last year and they are beginning to emulate the Apple method of being a little hush hush sometimes about releases or keeping everyone waiting for an unknown amount of time before the product is actually released for a premium price. And then after it finally does release and anyone finds a flaw, they are totally silent in response until they decide to address it. And before Christmas, Canon attempted to lock the retail prices with the announcement about the MAP agreements. Yep, pretty Apple-like if you ask me.

The problem with any company wanting to emulate Apple is that Apple doesn't go after market share. They go after the consumer and they sell at a high margin and make their money up front. Most other companies just can't do that. Apple essentially has their own market that they enjoy with buyers willing to cast off all others and buy/pay more no matter what. It's like a religion. This is why no one else has been able to duplicate it. Apple's buyers don't seem to care about anything other than the brand. Features, price, nothing matters. They may complain but they buy it anyway. It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen. They might not even use what they buy but they still think it's great. It's hypnotic. This means in the long run that the Apple store isn't just a store, it's a shrine to the Apple. It's a cultural icon. And it possibly appeals to a larger audience than Canon. Perhaps this is why the stores are starting in other countries. Canon doesn't see them working yet in the US. Should be interesting to see how they go.

If you want a chuckle, watch the Futurama episode about the eyePhone (Attack of the Killer App - 2009). It was hilarious and pretty accurate about how people buy Apple products.

 

[paul13walnut5]

@Neuroanatomist

Even so, I think these new Canon stores are likely to be quite analogous to Apple Stores - their main focus is going to be point-and-shoots, camcorders, and entry-level dSLRs, much like the prominent displays of multiple iPads/iPhones/iPods and MacBooks and some iMacs...and where's the Mac Pro? Tucked away in the corner.

I recognise the apple store described here, however I think it's a different aspiration from both Canon and their customers.

In apple land they seem to be riding the wave of selling their phones and ipads for consumption rather than creating. It's clear that apple can't be bothered with high end customers now and in effect are reaping greater rewards by dumbing down.

Digital photography seems to be more aspirational, having the latest and greatest top end kit is going to draw people in, even if the majority of them leave with a rebel (and nothing wrong with that), the rebel user might get serious and come back for an extra lens, or flash, or upgrade down the line, I don't think apple care about folk graduating from their iphones to mac pros so much, and rather suspect mac pros and their users are becoming something of an inconvenience.

I also think Canons camcorders as traditionally known are not long for this world. Compacts and DSLRs can get close for most practical consumer purposes, notice the pared down range. The cinema range may flourish, and an XL style body with EF mount, s35 or FF sensor and servo lens would be a hit. Will Canon sell pro class sachtler tripods, sennheiser mics and arri lighting to go with their C line?

Nikon have went all android... maybe Canon will be the ones to get an iOS compact?..

 

[RustyTheGeek]

I agree that Apple products are different than Canon products. Which is why I don't agree with Canon trying to emulate the Apple method which is unfortunately what they appear to be doing, at some level anyway.

It's a common misconception that Apple makes products for consumers to use. That is incorrect. Apple products have less features and are less functional. They are NOT created for consumer productivity, at least not as a primary function. They are very pretty eye candy created for one purpose - to drive Apple users to Apple content. iTunes, Apple Store, App Store, Apple accessories, whatever Apple points the user to in order to generate more revenue. This is why Apple products don't support multiple formats and Apple makes it difficult to use anything outside of the Apple ecosystem. It's also why Apple products can't be customized. The user is not permitted to dilute or change the Apple brand or style or look. It's a work of art that you are permitted to use, show off and display. But don't change it. Making it unique or attempting to use it for anything Apple hasn't already deemed permissible won't be allowed and will be a punishable offense. Anyone remember when the iPhone came out and after some jailbreaks to get more features or skins, Apple bricked those phones with updates. Really? And those folks went out and bought another.... iPhone. Wow. They call it jailbreak for a reason.

 

[RustyTheGeek]

You'll never see an iOS Canon product. That's not how Apple works. It's religion. Apple will have to release its own DSLR. They will never allow iOS to be used on anything else that's not an Apple product. And if they did, it would be a disaster because they would want too much control. Whatever the product, Apple would insist that it would cease to be anything less than an Apple product regardless of the name on the front.

 

[paul13walnut5]

I was half joking with the iOS line. Maybe it could be the Canon iOS!

And consumption was what I was getting at. I create video content on a macpro macbook pro and imac. Most users of apple products consume content, and as you say, only in ways that suit apple, so no flash etc.

My next mac will either be a windows PC or a hackintosh (motherboard with flashed bios, makes it worth $500 more)

I really hate to mac bash, really want to resist it, as I've done a lot of good work on a mac.

I just hope canon keep on the aspirational curve rather than dumbing down for mass market appeal.

 

[RustyTheGeek]

I was half joking with the iOS line. Maybe it could be the Canon iOS!

And consumption was what I was getting at. I create video content on a macpro macbook pro and imac. Most users of apple products consume content, and as you say, only in ways that suit apple, so no flash etc.

My next mac will either be a windows PC or a hackintosh (motherboard with flashed bios, makes it worth $500 more)

I really hate to mac bash, really want to resist it, as I've done a lot of good work on a mac.

I just hope canon keep on the aspirational curve rather than dumbing down for mass market appeal.

I totally agree with all your points. And just to be clear, I think Apple products are great. They are just expensive and you're stuck with Apple the company. Apple's whole business/product model is unique to them and when other companies try to copy that, it never works. So please Canon, don't. It may just be about the money to Canon but it's about the camera and support to us. And as you say, these camera products are for creation by the user, not consumption. Totally opposite of what Apple provides.

 

[RMC33]

Sorry to hear your local retailer is going under=/. The one in my town is close to going under too. I buy all my bags and Flashes there. I have a hard time buying a used flash.

On the mac front which seems to have hijacked the latter part of this thread. Rusty.. That episode was and still is hilarious.

I love my MBP Retina and my self built desktop. They both run SSD's and 16gb of ram (desktop is an older I5 but works great) and just SMOKE anything I do. I have to say for the price of the low end retina I have not seen a PC based laptop that can do what this little guy does. Clients LOVE seeing the photos or designs (I work as a patent writer and design/prototype engineer for a patent firm on the screen rather then the 46" TV we have setup in our conference room because of how vivid the colors are. I could not do half of my work though without a PC, since Autodesk does not program for Mac. I love them both... and honestly after writing this I don't think I could live with out either OS.