Jessops fall out with pentax

Jessops was at its best when all they had was a warehouse and showroom in Leicester selling top items at bargain prices (that was back in the 1970's.) A sort of a photographic Amazon before the internet was even thought of. It was mainly postal but you could go to the showroom, see the items and order what you wanted and go home very happy! I used to make a pilgrimage there every year for developing tanks, trays, film, chemicals, filters, gadgets, everything! They published a sales list on a sheet of approx A3 paper filled with all the products printed in a tiny font, such was the quantity of items on it.

Once they started opening shops things went downhill somewhat and they changed direction from being a discount retailer. They became more like another Dixons who's main priority seemed to be the selling of extended warranties above all else! That wasn't perhaps surprising as a senior manager who had left the Dixons group took over a similar role at Jessops for a while and pushed that marketing approach.
Both companies were left floundering as a result and in the present trading conditions are finding it difficult to get back on track.

John

You are kidding right?!


I'm hoping that you are infact an official Pentax representative and not a troll; and that you actually spend some time on both this forum and the american one reading on what your users actually think... We're a wierd bunch that actually continue to invest in the K-mount system after having bought the camera and kit lens...

We all want to see Pentax compete with the big 2 ... We want adverts on the telly... We want to go out shooting and see other Pentax shooters... Sod it, you can go old-skool for me and put adverts on the side of buses...

We want to go into Jessops... See Pentax products and hear the same excitement from the staff in them as they have for CaNikon systems (this will involve Pentax-Reps actually visiting stores... You know, like in the olden days...)

Sort it out.
Rant done.

You're right David. From where I live on the Yorkshire coast I have to drive miles to see any Pentax stock in a Jessops store. Last weekend I went to have a look at the Q in our local store. I was advised that the nearest ones were in Leeds, 60 miles away where apparently they had four! What sense is there in that?

John

It's not just getting stock into stores that's the issue though... Pentax (maybe globally but definitely UK) has a complete lack of marketing strategy inherited from (probably before) the days of Hoya...

Why; with Ricoh's pockets being so deep do we not see advertising on remotely the same scale as CaNikon?

Why do so many people not know that Pentax 'still' make cameras?

Why (even in those few instances where stock is in store) do sales assistants not know the actual specs/capabilities of the Pentax products in store; pushing new buyers towards CaNikon products?

Do these stores actually have a Pentax rep they can get information from?

These are questions (among others) that Pentax-Ricoh-Imaging-Corp should be asking of their marketing departments as they hand them their P45's...

Poor show...

Well said Dave !!!!

Although personally I couldn't care less about Jessops, they can go bust for all I care, but I do care about Pentax continuing to flourish. I've been shooting Pentax since the mid 1980s and I have no intention of changing brands

Jessops have a strong presence on the high street despite their financial status. Should the photographic community suport,what is becoming a rarity, photography shops?. Well it could be a case of use them or lose them for me. Without jessops where would most of the general public buy their camera, currys or comet perhaps, who seem to be less knowledgeable than jessops!! With jessops you can order online for store pick up, their prices are competitive and they have interest free credit available. If you are a competent photographer you wouldn't go to jessops for advice really, but a newcomer needs guidance. I guess the 'gripe' on the forum focusses on the idea that pentax somehow gets a 'raw deal' from jessops and that they push canikon cameras instead.There are two groups of people who use jessops perhaps, I use them and know the product that I want(without advice,)and there are those who need advice and don't care what name is on the camera!!!
Regards
Chris

I think that has been, over a few posts there, quite a demonstration of negativity and quite a rude way to say hello to anyone.

Ranting at people the moment they walk through the door doesn't seem encouraging to me, or conducive to a proper exchange of ideas.

It must be very difficult to decide over the "noise" what people actually do want that's going to move things forward in a practical and profitable manner.

According to the Nikkei, Ricoh are making a loss in the camera business.

Lets see what the rest of this year brings.

Best regards

Letting people speak their honest mind, even if it is offensive to some is always preferable to censorship.

You can't have a proper exchange of ideas if the discussion is limited by political correctness.

Dave Holmes' response to PentaxUK is not rude and assertively honest. To be commended.

The Pentax Marketing strategy is terrible. I want Pentax to live on. But most people don't even know they exist. PRIC ( Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company ) need to pull their finger out.

Welcome to the forum. It's great news that they are being stocked in Jessops but it's a bit of a mystery as to where. I couldn't find a Pentax Q in Brighton or a large area of South-East London. In Bromley they did have a little plastic model, but I'm not going to buy a camera based on a little plastic model. I know I could buy one online but that's not the point of Jessops as there are pro retailers offering two year guarantees. I wouldn't have minded waiting a day or two for one to be ordered but I need to see and try a proper display model first. Quite honestly sales reps from other companies must be giggling when they say Pentax represented only by a little plastic camera.

It would be great news if it were true, but the simple fact is that it isn't. I was in my local Jessops yesterday and there were no DSLRs and just a solitary 17-70mm which is ex-display and shop soiled (though no budging on price) and has been there for months. This is a city store, not some tiny branch.

On line there is nowhere near the full range of lenses and hasn't been for some time. I have quite a lot of Tesco Clubcard Jessops vouchers, but nothing to spend them on! I have enough for the WR 100mm macro if only it was available. The manager in my local store confirmed that they couldn't order it in if it's not on their product list.

I don't think it's at all negative to point out that someone who purports to be from Pentax UK isn't telling the truth, for whatever reason.

If you think the statement is faulty, rather than accusing people of not telling the truth why not point out the discrepancy so that it can be looked into? Hurling insults does not reflect well on anyone.

Let's stop the responses in this thread being so OTT please, it's not the way to communicate in a civil manner.

A quick search on the internet will reveal that Nicole Littlewood is in fact connected to Pentax UK

link

Thank you for that Haworth. I hope that she will find that in general we are much friendlier here than the initial greetings she received might suggest.