Jessops: the camera never lies

From the handful of hits they had in their 80s pomp, Bucks Fizz’s My Camera Never Lies is probably my favourite.

But 30 years ago Britain was a very different place, particularly its high street, which boasted a number of thriving specialist retailers.

All that changed with the arrival of the internet, which pulled the rug from under a number of business sectors, including regional newspapers. But it is specialist stores such as Jessops and Cecil Jacobs it has hurt the most.

In the space of just six months both companies, founded in Leicester in the 1930s, have collapsed, with Jacobs disappearing completely last autumn. But it’s not only cheaper cameras on the internet which are to blame. Advances in software means photos can now be printed more easily on home computers and the ubiquity of technology means punters are no longer clueless when it comes to the latest gadgets and so no longer need patronising shop assistants to offer guidance.

Yes, Jessops could live on as an outlet for high-end photographic products, but it’s very likely to be with a much smaller presence than the 192 stores it currently has.

Rather arrogantly, the company’s bosses always seemed to believe the business held some great secret to selling cameras. It was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2004 at an over-priced £160 million on the basis that demand for digital cameras was insatiable and we all needed specialist help in buying one. Then realising it couldn’t compete on price with the internet and larger retailers, it tried to turn itself into an all-encompassing photo centre. Every time it was overtaken by technology.

Yes, the 21st century consumer has an obsession with new hi-tech devices, but we are not going to pay a premium to be sold it by a spotty geek who probably doesn’t know that much more about the product he’s selling than you do. I have a passion for history as much as anyone, but ‘brand heritage’ goes out of the window when it’s £20 cheaper down the road or via the click of a mouse.

I would like to know what has happened over the past few months which has convinced HSBC - which has effectively controlled Jessops since 2009 - the business was no longer worth bankrolling when many have been reading the firm’s death rites for years. A sharp slump in sales in the crucial Christmas period probably made them realise enough was enough.

Who knows, they may have even remembered those wise words of Cheryl Baker and co.