Jessops has officially gone into administration

Just announced on Sky News, Jessops (the UK Camera specialist store chain) has filed for administration and it has been accepted.

This is more bad news for the high-street, but I am surprised they managed to last as long as they have since the move from film to digital cameras. I always continued to try and support them but every time I went into one of their stores they never had what I wanted in stock, with the assistant saying order it from the website.. kind of making the physical stores redundant anyway.

I'm wondering if they will wind the whole company up, or restructure and downsize, either closing some of the stores or removing their physical high-street presence and remaining online.

It would be really sad to see them go completely, and it is bad to see stores for photography closing. You really do want to be able to handle and test DSLRs before buying.

I'm surprised to here that.

But stores like Jessops are probably becoming less relevant. For example, if you want film/developing services/chemicals etc your best bet is probably to go to a specialist supplier (Ag Photographic being a good example), or maybe a local independent shop who would probably have more ability to order things in. Film developing etc is just not really a high street business any more.

Are Jessops normally any good with prices? I can't see them being better than mail order/online sites.

I tend to here mainly negative things about Jessops on the internet these days. Quite possibly due to the fact that they are a large chain, and apparently you just don't get the same kind of service that you would get in a local independent shop.

It all depends on the individual store. Some I've gone into have been really good, whilst others have been a bit rubbish.

I expect some of the branches of Jessops in larger cities have got worse and employ school leavers more recently too, which doesn't help. It was always good with the Southampton branch in East Street having real photography enthusiasts working for them who really knew they subject. The same was actually true of the London Camera Exchange in Southampton too. I've not been impressed at all with the Jessops in Chichester the few times I've gone in. They have never had anything I've wanted.

First it was Jessops, then at the end of last week it was HMV going into administration, although maybe not completely gone... and today it has been announced that the video rental store Blockbusters has now also gone into administration!

Soon we won't have anything left in the highstreet. Just loads of empty shops, and some filled with charity shops or coffee and food establishments.

Just one of many, ....yet still to fall. :eyebrow: