[nunzio]

Hello everybody,
I would like to know if anyone has any idea what happens in the Pentax house. Here in Italy I hear about the debacle. Retailers have not been selling Pentax products for a long time and it seems that even Fowa, the big care center, is about to leave. Is Pentax on the verge of closure? Is Ricoh giving up on Pentax or is it simply Ricoh that he has problems?

[CapitanXeon]

Welp, this looks to be the same as ever, and i believe Pentax wouldn't be making a new camera if they were on the verge of closing.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

New K-series DSLR under development to be exhibited - PentaxForums.com

^ Visit that thread.

[zzeitg]

Yet another "Pentax is doomed" thread?

[Alex645]

Retailer worldwide are shrinking and online sales is booming. To survive, retailers and big box warehouse stores, only keep inventory of items they can sell with the highest volume.

I do not believe Ricoh nor Pentax are going out of business, but as the internet options grow, the local brick and mortar options shrink.

Part of me is saddened by this loss of 'community' and the experience of handling a camera and talking photography with a human behind the counter, but another part of me understands that the environment cannot sustain the carbon emissions of consumerism and population overgrowth and the impact on economics for all producers and consumers.

[reh321]

Hello everybody,
I would like to know if anyone has any idea what happens in the Pentax house. Here in Italy I hear about the debacle. Retailers have not been selling Pentax products for a long time and it seems that even Fowa, the big care center, is about to leave. Is Pentax on the verge of closure? Is Ricoh giving up on Pentax or is it simply Ricoh that he has problems?

To get a better flavor, you'd probably need to read a page or two in this section.

To answer your immediate question: Pentax seems to have fallen below the level that many brick & mortar stores require for continue to support. The current owner is Ricoh; right now they continue to support the brand, but we don't know what will happen in the future - but no brand really knows that. Much of the current business is 'mail order', but many millennials get most of their items that way.

[nunzio]

Retailer worldwide are shrinking and online sales is booming. To survive, retailers and big box warehouse stores, only keep inventory of items they can sell with the highest volume.

I do not believe Ricoh nor Pentax are going out of business, but as the internet options grow, the local brick and mortar options shrink.

Part of me is saddened by this loss of 'community' and the experience of handling a camera and talking photography with a human behind the counter, but another part of me understands that the environment cannot sustain the carbon emissions of consumerism and population overgrowth and the impact on economics for all producers and consumers.

On this I agree, but here we talk about Fowa, the Pentax Italia service center.
If sales no longer pass through retailers, but through the internet, in the end the number of products arriving on the market is the same, so why should an Assistance Center leave?

[fsge]

I bought my KP once in Italy earlier this year, including Fowa 4 year care.
Ricoh published Q2 financial report few days ago, and there is no negative news...

[CapitanXeon]

...but many millennials get most of their items that way.

In fact, i don't have a single piece of camera gear i bought on a physical shop, if that helps.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Pentax is doomed, yet not doomed.

[Larrymc]

Hello everybody,
I would like to know if anyone has any idea what happens in the Pentax house. Here in Italy I hear about the debacle. Retailers have not been selling Pentax products for a long time and it seems that even Fowa, the big care center, is about to leave. Is Pentax on the verge of closure? Is Ricoh giving up on Pentax or is it simply Ricoh that he has problems?

Pentax has shown their new upcoming APS-C flagship model recently does that sound like a company that plans to shutter its doors?

Where in the heck did you hear all of this rubbish? Please inform us of the debacle that you heard about. Have you not been keeping track of the Asahi Optical Company (original parent company of Pentax) 100th Anniversary celebration that Ricoh/Pentax is celebrating?

You need to break out of the gloom and doom bubble. Please please please stop believing this rubbish that floats around occasionally.

[DeadJohn]

This might say more about Fowa than about Pentax/Ricoh. The people purchasing Pentax gear and repair services are (for whatever reason) deciding not do so via Fowa.

[tvdtvdtvd]

The sky is falling; can I have your gear?

Released in 2019 - WG-6, G900, HD DA10-17, HD DFA 35/2
On the horizon - New Pentax APS-C flagship, 85mm, plus......

Lots happening in the Ricoh Pentax house, but the days of a new product every month are long in the past. What specifically were you
not finding, other than a local brick and mortar retailer. For good or for bad, camera sales have largely moved online.

(As a side note, I noticed at Target the other day that dedicated cameras are no longer at the Electronics counter. They are now stocked
not one but >two< aisles over. Clearly other electronics like gameboys and iPhone accessories are presently much more important to warrant
direct service attendance and a watchful eye to guard against theft. The selection of DSLRs at Target has dwindled to a paltry 4 or 5 options
and I wouldn't be surprised if even those entry level Rebels disappear from the shelves within a year or two.)

[othar]

On this I agree, but here we talk about Fowa, the Pentax Italia service center.
If sales no longer pass through retailers, but through the internet, in the end the number of products arriving on the market is the same, so why should an Assistance Center leave?

If you get a faulty camera from the start you return it either to get your money back or a new camera -> no need for a repair/service center.
If you drop your camera after a few years you have the choice to buy a new model (better AF, more MP, whatever) buy the same or a similar camera second hand or send it for repair (I don't know Fowa but if you are out of warranty you probably pay something up front, not knowing if it can be fixed -> if it is fixable a secondhand camera probably would have costed the same )
So in my opinion not that much to do for them in the first place, Pentax beeing a small brand outside Japan -> getting repair parts is probably more effort than benefits for them.

[biz-engineer]

Is Pentax on the verge of closure?

Pentax will never die because Pentax is also a brand of endoscopes and Italian pumps.