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03-28-2013, 06:15 AM   #1
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Jessops

Pentax one of only three visible brands (along with Nikon and Tamron) during interview with Peter Jones on reopening Jessops
BBC News - Dragons' Den star Peter Jones excited by Jessops re-launch

03-28-2013, 06:31 AM   #2
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You can see the "onic" of Panasonic to the left and there is a Sony stand to his right but Pentax having the same presence as Nikon is a good sign, I guess...

Last edited by Boris_Akunin; 04-08-2013 at 08:14 AM.
03-28-2013, 06:32 AM   #3
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And Panasonic.

I'm not familiar with this store, outside of their in-house brand accessories.. I wonder if those are coming back? I mean there used to be a Jessops branded Auto Extension Tube set and some other bits of Pentax K mount kit available..
03-28-2013, 06:52 AM   #4
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Pentax has (and always had) a very tight business model. There has never been a glut of Pentax models. Go and look at Nikon's website - Nikon | Imaging Products | Digital SLR Cameras



There are 15 Nikon DSLRS to choose from. 20 if you count the colors and the "E" versions of the bodies. 20 DSLRs not even counting their other cameras!!!!

As a consumer, there is no reasonable way the average person is going to spend the time and effort to understand the differences in those cameras. It's not going to happen.

Thankfully Canon is a little less bloated with around 11 DSLR cameras.

Again, that is a lot of cameras to keep track of.

Pentax has 2 DSLRs - 3 if you count the "S" version of the K5. 4 if you count the 645D, which neither Nikon or Canon have.

So from a retail perspective, it makes sense to carry Pentax. Your salespeople can talk and be trained on a MUCH smaller product line and be more competent in doing so.

Ultimately, when more and more people realize how good the Pentax line is, and how much simpler to own and recommend, it becomes a "no-brainer" to carry Pentax.

Nikon and Canon are saturating the DSLR market, and Pentax will prevail as a "Fresher" and more "Exclusive" brand.

03-28-2013, 07:53 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote

There are 15 Nikon DSLRS to choose from. 20 if you count the colors and the "E" versions of the bodies. 20 DSLRs not even counting their other cameras!!!!

.
Nikon Russia says about 7 professionals cameras and 9 amateur cameras. 16 cameras.
Nikon ??????

Nikon ??????
03-28-2013, 09:38 AM   #6
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The larger Jessops stores have always carried Pentax, but the smaller ones are invariably totally devoid of anything Pentax related. It'll be interesting to see if this changes at all.
03-28-2013, 10:41 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
There are 15 Nikon DSLRS to choose from. 20 if you count the colors and the "E" versions of the bodies. 20 DSLRs not even counting their other cameras!!!!
15? I am not sure how many people are still going to buy either a D300s, D90, D5000, D3100 or D3000 (if they are available at all).
Soon the D5100 & D7000 must be added to the list.

This would be like counting for Pentax the K20D (D90), K5 (D7000), K5IIs (D7000), Kx (D3000), Kr (D5100)...

Yes Nikon has a slighly bigger portfolio in point of cameras, but partly only because they are marketing some old models for a longer time.
What they really have more is a "entry level" camera with the D3200 and 3 fullframe models (D600, D800 & D4).

As I "personally" see it:
D3200 - missing
D5200 - K30
D7100 - K5II(s) and most likely soon K3 with APS-C
D600 - missing
D800 - to be filled with K1
D4 - 645D

With lenses it is another story

03-28-2013, 11:42 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mareket Quote
The larger Jessops stores have always carried Pentax, but the smaller ones are invariably totally devoid of anything Pentax related. It'll be interesting to see if this changes at all.
I'm not sure they are planning to reopen the smaller stores. Before liquidation 187 stores, now planning to (re)open 30ish stores.

QuoteQuote:
"We're not going to be coming back into the high street and going back to 200 stores again; those days are over," Jones said. "I don't believe we'll have over 50 stores unless we start to go into Europe, which I wouldn't rule out."
Was good to see a big Pentax logo on the telly this morning though!
03-28-2013, 12:02 PM   #9
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Jessops was the only camera store in my hometown for around 15 years.
We had an excellent independant shop which closed leaving Jessops as the go to shop for camera gear.
I wish Jessops all success.
03-28-2013, 12:06 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by vespats Quote
15? I am not sure how many people are still going to buy either a D300s, D90, D5000, D3100 or D3000 (if they are available at all).
Soon the D5100 & D7000 must be added to the list.

This would be like counting for Pentax the K20D (D90), K5 (D7000), K5IIs (D7000), Kx (D3000), Kr (D5100)...

Yes Nikon has a slighly bigger portfolio in point of cameras, but partly only because they are marketing some old models for a longer time.
What they really have more is a "entry level" camera with the D3200 and 3 fullframe models (D600, D800 & D4).

As I "personally" see it:
D3200 - missing
D5200 - K30
D7100 - K5II(s) and most likely soon K3 with APS-C
D600 - missing
D800 - to be filled with K1
D4 - 645D

With lenses it is another story
That image I took is from the Nikon site. They make no reference to those being "discontinued". Just because someone won't buy an older camera, doesn't mean they are not for sale as Nikon continues to sell/advertise them from their main website.

That is very different than comparing discontinued/gone Pentax models.
03-28-2013, 12:28 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
As a consumer, there is no reasonable way the average person is going to spend the time and effort to understand the differences in those cameras. It's not going to happen.

Thankfully Canon is a little less bloated with around 11 DSLR cameras.

Again, that is a lot of cameras to keep track of.
The overall sales of cameras, DSLR's and others, are declining.

QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
So from a retail perspective, it makes sense to carry Pentax. Your salespeople can talk and be trained on a MUCH smaller product line and be more competent in doing so.
That would be true, if the retail sector was still investing on skilled salespeople, and even the mainstream cameras were sold mostly in traditional brick&mortar shops, like back in the day, like in those Jessop's stores.

But for the most part, cameras, even entry to mid level DSLR's (Canikons) have become commodities that are being sold in Tescos, Walmarts and the likes, on shelves next to toilet papers and stationaries. Literally. Also increasingly in online stores.That's why there are no longer much skilled camera salespeople left, apart from the few remaining stores like B&H, Adorama, etc.

The few salespeople left in the warehouses and in the bargain stores selling everything between washing machines and computers generally know very little about the cameras, let alone something thats not in the spec sheet. Unless they're amateur photographers themselves. Generally they don't really even care. Not with the wages and provisions they get paid. That is, in general, there may be some few exceptions for sure.

QuoteQuote:
Ultimately, when more and more people realize how good the Pentax line is, and how much simpler to own and recommend, it becomes a "no-brainer" to carry Pentax.

Nikon and Canon are saturating the DSLR market, and Pentax will prevail as a "Fresher" and more "Exclusive" brand.
The problem with your comment is that it's trying to use common sense, and it's overestimating the mainstream audience, as well as today's retail business. Today's reality is that, whoever is controlling the delivery chain is controlling the market. The mainstream will buy whatever gets advertised the most, and whatever can be found in most places. Even the price doesn't really matter that much, not these days. The typical camera geeks and even photographers who are reading and writing on these online forums are the minority.

In other words, today the one that controls the market is Canikon, and there's not much small entities like Pentax can do about it. As long as they're trying to play the game controlled by the two giants. They may have to come up with something different, eventually.

A few remaining skilled salespeople aren't going to make much of a difference, unfortunately, but they can make a difference locally, inside a single b&m shop, by providing good service that will keep the happy customers coming back time and again.

Unfortunately only a handful of retailers are willing to pay for such work and skills any longer, and there are not that many skilled camera salespeople left. Most of the "old school" salespeople have become frustrated and gone to work for other industries, or found something else to do within the industry. Even the importers in some regions of the world have either vanished or changed quite a bit during the few recent years. Things may be different on the US market, though.

On the other hand, Pentax do have, and have had the chance to become an "exclusive" brand among the camera brands and maybe they have even tried to be that, in a way, by keeping the launch date pricing high enough. But somehow it has backfired on them so far, perhaps their product line is not quite special enough, or perhaps the Pentax marketing has failed somehow. I haven't studied it closely enough during the last couple of years to have a better picture but, perhaps they are still a bit too mainstream for be another Leica.
03-28-2013, 12:42 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by EchoOscar Quote
The overall sales of cameras, DSLR's and others, are declining.



That would be true, if the retail sector was still investing on skilled salespeople, and even the mainstream cameras were sold mostly in traditional brick&mortar shops, like back in the day, like in those Jessop's stores.

But for the most part, cameras, even entry to mid level DSLR's (Canikons) have become commodities that are being sold in Tescos, Walmarts and the likes, on shelves next to toilet papers and stationaries. Literally. Also increasingly in online stores.That's why there are no longer much skilled camera salespeople left, apart from the few remaining stores like B&H, Adorama, etc.

The few salespeople left in the warehouses and in the bargain stores selling everything between washing machines and computers generally know very little about the cameras, let alone something thats not in the spec sheet. Unless they're amateur photographers themselves. Generally they don't really even care. Not with the wages and provisions they get paid. That is, in general, there may be some few exceptions for sure.



The problem with your comment is that it's trying to use common sense, and it's overestimating the mainstream audience, as well as today's retail business. Today's reality is that, whoever is controlling the delivery chain is controlling the market. The mainstream will buy whatever gets advertised the most, and whatever can be found in most places. Even the price doesn't really matter that much, not these days. The typical camera geeks and even photographers who are reading and writing on these online forums are the minority.

In other words, today the one that controls the market is Canikon, and there's not much small entities like Pentax can do about it. As long as they're trying to play the game controlled by the two giants. They may have to come up with something different, eventually.

A few remaining skilled salespeople aren't going to make much of a difference, unfortunately, but they can make a difference locally, inside a single b&m shop, by providing good service that will keep the happy customers coming back time and again.

Unfortunately only a handful of retailers are willing to pay for such work and skills any longer, and there are not that many skilled camera salespeople left. Most of the "old school" salespeople have become frustrated and gone to work for other industries, or found something else to do within the industry. Even the importers in some regions of the world have either vanished or changed quite a bit during the few recent years. Things may be different on the US market, though.

On the other hand, Pentax do have, and have had the chance to become an "exclusive" brand among the camera brands and maybe they have even tried to be that, in a way, by keeping the launch date pricing high enough. But somehow it has backfired on them so far, perhaps their product line is not quite special enough, or perhaps the Pentax marketing has failed somehow. I haven't studied it closely enough during the last couple of years to have a better picture but, perhaps they are still a bit too mainstream for be another Leica.
Canikony as the main focus of DSLR statistics, report the demise of the DSLR as a reflection of their flooding of the DSLR market, and naturally so, because they are so similar in their marketing and sales.

Canikony wants you to believe that if THEIR cameras don't sell, then ALL DSLRs don't either. The numbers are from *their* perspective of arrogance, and the industry seems to toe that line.

However, Pentax is outside of that.

The struggle of Pentax reminds me of Honda. The two big Japanese companies in the USA were Datsun and Toyota. They laughed at Honda for years. Datsun and Toyota would tell the press this and that, while consumers flocked to Honda in droves.

Honda ultimately ate their lunches and earned their place at the table.

Pentax used to OWN the table, and is taking it's time coming back.

Consumers always choose brand A or B, but when A and B become stale, they look for the next thing.

Pentax *is* the next thing when it comes to cameras.
03-28-2013, 12:46 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by redimp Quote
Pentax one of only three visible brands (along with Nikon and Tamron) during interview with Peter Jones on reopening Jessops
BBC News - Dragons' Den star Peter Jones excited by Jessops re-launch
the footage was taken at one of Jessops's newest store in London before it folded (Oxford Street). It was one of the very few branches to carry Pentax at all. The visible section might seem as big as as the Nikon section but the reality was a bit different. Canon had huge section at the front, together with Panasonic/Olympus. There was a small Fuji stand just about opposite where Mr. Jones is standing. The Nikon stand was physically the same size as Pentax one but all the staff were wearing Nikon or Canon expert labeled polos. There were always 2 staff members in Canon and Nikon section and couple of others floating around, last time I was there it took them a while until they strolled down to Pentax section to ask if I need help. You should have seen them when I walked into the store with my Canon gear and stopped at the front....

QuoteOriginally posted by Boris_Akunin Quote
You can see the "onic" of Panasonic to the left and there is a Sony stand to his right but Pentax having the same presence as Nikon is a good sign, I guess...
Don't be so optimistic. I strongly doubt Pentax will have "the same presence" as Nikon in re-launched Jessops. From the footage it seems they are using existing store as it was before folding. So presence of Pentax depends on which branches they choose to keep... As an example in the flagship branch at new Oxford Street and in the Westfield White City branch, the Pentax presence in terms of DSLRs or lenses was 0

anyway, I don't live in UK anymore so I don't care so much, and Jessops was always overpriced compared to competition in last few years and the quality of the staff was rather poor (from the branches I visited that is). Still good luck to them and Mr. Jones, always kind of liked that bloke...
03-28-2013, 12:48 PM   #14
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A good read on another consumer product-

Iterating - Decline and Fall
03-28-2013, 03:51 PM - 1 Like   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
Canikony as the main focus of DSLR statistics, report the demise of the DSLR as a reflection of their flooding of the DSLR market, and naturally so, because they are so similar in their marketing and sales.

Canikony wants you to believe that if THEIR cameras don't sell, then ALL DSLRs don't either. The numbers are from *their* perspective of arrogance, and the industry seems to toe that line.

However, Pentax is outside of that.
I saw a piece of statistics, or the analysis of them recently, on the overall camera sales in 2012, and according to that all camera brand sales were going down. Of all the camera brands, including dSLR's and MILC's, only Canon and Nikon were showing profit. But even their profit margins were shrinking. Everyone else, including Pentax, were showing losses in their 2012 results. So it appears to be that indeed all dSLR's don't sell these days. Everyone are struggling with the dilemma of slowly growing stock of unsold items, while they should be pushing out new models.

It is possible that soon the golden days are over even for Canikon. But unfortunately that doesn't automatically mean that it'll be a bonanza for Pentax. It just means that there is a big oversupply of cameras on the market, as people aren't buying them as much and as quickly as the mainstream players wants us to. Even planned obsolescence and herds of preconditioned gadget nerds with very short attention span will only help them thus far, after which the market is simply full. At least for a while.

QuoteQuote:
The struggle of Pentax reminds me of Honda. The two big Japanese companies in the USA were Datsun and Toyota. They laughed at Honda for years. Datsun and Toyota would tell the press this and that, while consumers flocked to Honda in droves.

Honda ultimately ate their lunches and earned their place at the table.

Pentax used to OWN the table, and is taking it's time coming back.

Consumers always choose brand A or B, but when A and B become stale, they look for the next thing.
Back in the day when Nissan was still called Datsun, the world was slightly different. But it all started to change in the mid-90's,when the internet became mainstream, and the change carried on for a decade or more. Today's winners are the likes of Walmart and Amazon, who control the delivery chain with minimum of effort and expenses. Others have to survive by adapting to different business models, and/or serving a smaller niche market.

BTW, Datsun and Toyota were the market leaders eleswhere, too, but outside the US, Honda never became a major player in the car market. Not even in the top 5, I believe. So if Honda did better in the US, that must be something they did to their sales and distribution, rather than to the cars themselves.

It doesn't really matter if your product is technically unique or even superior any longer. One could argue that Pentax are making much more interesting cameras than Canikon, Ducati and Triumph much more interesting bikes than Honzuyamasaki, Alfa-Romeo more interesting cars than Toyonissan, etc. Indeed they are, but it doesn't matter. Despite their impressive merits, all those aforementioned players are the underdogs in the market. What matters in the mainstream market is something quite different.

One could also argue that Apple's computers and OS were much more comfortable to use back in the day than the generic PC's and DOS/Windows, the Sony Betamax was technically superior to VHS, etc, etc, but again, it didn't really matter. Windows and VHS became the market leaders, anyway, and it had nothing to do with their technical merit, or with the products themselves. It was more about logistics and volumes.

Many people still can, and do gravitate towards Pentaxes, Ducatis, Alfas and so on, but the masses will still flock around the big mainstream giants, whatever they're offering. The mainstream masses won't buy a Pentax camera, until Pentax become mainstream, the new hip thing, and thus a brand that "everyone" is already using.

It is quite possible that Pentax might some day do a comeback in the mainstream and stick it to Canikon like you visioned, but the point is that it's not that simple any longer. Nowadays it's much harder than it was back in the days of Datsun and Pentax Spotmatic.

According to some business analysts, however, getting back in the mainstream may no longer be such a big deal, after all. Not for entities like Pentax, who wish to be unique and different. If you believe what business gurus like Seth Godin are writing, the likes of Pentax may well prevail in the niches, and the mass market mainstream is already crumbling. What matters is that you create value to your customers, a scarcity they won't find in the market oversaturated by Canikon and the Walmarts of the world.

So all in all, I for one am not worried about small brands like Pentax not making it back in the top, and sticking it to Canikon. I just wish they will remain innovative and passionate, and will come up with great products for the passionate niches, like the people here. If it's imperative for you to be in the herd of the "winners," by all means go and get yourself a Canikon.

Oh and by you I don't mean you Lauren, but just "you" in general.

QuoteQuote:
Pentax *is* the next thing when it comes to cameras.
Maybe, but looks like it could as well be Sony, for example, or even Samsung. Or both of them, or maybe together with Olympus and Pentax. Maybe there will no longer be just one next big thing, but several different things. I kinda hope the latter will be true. Monocultures are boring.

Anyway, because of the reasons mentioned above, if Pentax wishes to be the next thing, they will have to come up with something completely new. Just a K-3 with a FF sensor won't be nearly enough. But I'm not saying it couldn't happen. We'll see, eventually.

But this is drifting a bit off topic, isn't it?
I hope there will indeed be Jessop's and other traditional brick and mortar camera stores in the future, too, selling Pentax and other fine cameras, and not just umphteen different flavours of Canikon.
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