Jessops- again...

They obviously have no idea how to run a company nor how any kind of economic system works. I feel sorry for the staff who will not have any jobs, well perhaps only the few that knew what they were talking about which were few and far between.

I feel a little sad that the whole situation leaves me cold. That is to say, I feel nothing at all.

Once upon a time I would have felt devastated at the thought of losing Jessops. I had a truly good relationship with them and on more than one occasion I've had phone calls from them to say things like "We've got a used lens in that I think you'll love!" That of course was in the days when Jessops was a privately held Company, staff turnover was low, and the people behind the counter invariably knew their subject [and I know at least a few remain].

Since becoming a PLC things have gone down hill. They are no longer your 'local camera shop', just another large national chain selling the stuff with the biggest margin and the best marketing back-up from the manufacturers. They are trying to be all things to all people and failing miserably at it.

I'll be neither happy nor sad at their inevitable demise. I'll feel the same for the employees as I did when Woolworths closed - absolutely gutted - but for the Company itself I'll feel nothing.

Let's face it, they bought Jessops for the brand and the high street locations. They steered away from the successful formula that the Jessop family had developed over decades. They f****d it up. It didn't work. Sad, yes; inevitable, maybe.

Next will be the AA. Once a not-for-profit club, lately a debt-ridden PLC. The formula just doesn't work in a less-than healthy economy without really smart cookies at the helm.

Sadly Jessops seems to have no smart cookies.

I have come to the conclusion that PLC stands for make as much money as you can, stuff the customers and any one else including the staff.
British companies should look at the Japanese concept on business.
When I was young it was said the Japanese only paid their workers a bowl of rice a day, that is why they sold their manufactured goods so cheaply .
Far from it they invested in “tooling” and their staff it is never them and us they all work for one aim the best possible product/service to the consumer/also value for money.
Just look at Honda UK, ok they have had to close production down for 4 months but will pay the staff up to 80% for part of that time and then they go on half pay.
Tell me what British company would do that?

[quote:

Next will be the AA. Once a not-for-profit club, lately a debt-ridden PLC.

[/quote]I was a AA Patrol for 30 years, I retired at 50 for medical reasons that was 1 year after Centrica (British Gas) took over, they sold everything striped the AA clean and moved on. Bad news when a company go's PLC or has been brought by a PLC.

Well said Dan.

I agree with you spider, a good read and to the point, nicely put Dan.

Some of these CEOs wouldn't know how to make money on a car boot stall never mind a national retail outlet.

Next inline to go will be DSG, they made all their staff salaried & knocked the commission on the head. Now the minimum wage has caught up their wage structure all the good staff have left leaving uninterested students, just turning up for the coin with their managers tood behind them doing the same thing.

Going into Jessops is always good for a laugh though. Ask them for a 70-200mm 2.8 lens for any brand, last time I did this the asisstant offered me a Tamron 70-300mm lens for £79.99

They should have shut down a good 18 months ago. As for feeling sorry for their staff, most are only on minimum wage anyhow, as are most retail staff & this is the biggest cause of downhill in the retail sector, no one really cares anymore.

Well here's another good one about AP.
I took up the mail option with AP after not having it for about a year, seeing was going to "revamp" it's image and the Freebe of course!
Well the distribution side was sending it to a guy at the other end of my road, he was also subscribed to AP and wondered why he was getting two copies also he did not know me, after many phone calls I Finally found out what had happened.
I was told the magazine was being sent to me at my address, I asked them several times the address it was being sent to they quoted me my own address, but nobody bothered to check.
The Guy who was getting two copies was told “just throw the spare one away” it was by a chance meeting that the truth came out, He was getting my mag!
When I confronted AP, they then admitted the truth, also promised to make up the lost issues.
I have stopped my subscription to the magazine, but would you believe it I am still getting it for free now.
No I wont phone them again, but when I go to the NEC (Focus on Imaging) on the 25th Feb I will go to the AP stand and tell them how good their distribution system is.

IIRC both Jessops and the AA were bought by venture capitalists and stuck with a business model which saddled them with lots of debt. If that had not been the case then I reckon Jessops might have survived. sorry to say I think it won't be long before they go under.

It's frightening how quickly the economy has turned, the lack of sensible credit is the core problem, but when someone calls in their loan they just crystallise the loss made - no chance to recoup the money. It depends if HSBC have lent their own money or borrowed it from s/o else !

The latest share prices and comment for Jessops.
http://www.lse.co.uk/SharePrice.asp?shareprice=JSP

Not sure if somebody mentioned that already, but maybe somebody could be interested, saw today in the Oxford Street (London) branch they have a bunch of pentax fit sigma 70-300 for 67 pounds.

PS. ah, forgot, non APO. They have a pentax 50-200 for 100 pounds ish as well .

If it is not the APO version not so cheap, and not so good,some one on Ebay is flogging the Apo versions with no Warrantee, I wonder if they are "B" grades.

Last time I went into a Jessops I needed a filter ring and wasn't sure if they had them, so I asked the spotty yoof behind the counter if they had any; he cogitated for a moment and replied "What size do you want, Canon or Nikon?". Lost for words I walked out.

Don't you just love Jessops