marknorton Posted March 22, 2009 Share #41 Posted March 22, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) That would make it a far more interesting development (for me as punter) than some kind of cross between an Apple Store and a Bond Street jeweller. Gallery aside, I suspect the new shop will be the sort of pretentious place you'll have to buzz the bell to be let in and be met with a kind of snooty indifference that Classic Camera (in its prime) could only aspire to. Agree with that... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 22, 2009 Posted March 22, 2009 Hi marknorton, Take a look here Leica Camera Mayfair advertising for staff .... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
mongrelnomad Posted March 22, 2009 Share #42 Posted March 22, 2009 Gallery aside, I suspect the new shop will be the sort of pretentious place you'll have to buzz the bell to be let in and be met with a kind of snooty indifference that Classic Camera (in its prime) could only aspire to. To its credit, Leica Ginza is not at all like this: open-door, and the friendly, helpful staff have always been a paragon of service. I am not, however, certain how much of this is down to typically exemplary Japanese standards of service. As far as the local competition, I wonder if London (Mayfair) staff will be able to match Red Dot as a friendly, knowledgeable purchasing experience... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted March 22, 2009 Share #43 Posted March 22, 2009 I'm not sure who they think they are kidding. With the creative business economy in the hole it's in, the S2 is almost certainly going to be increasingly marketed at the affluent consumer and the choice of a Mayfair location for their store doesn't exactly contradict this direction. Leica UK opening their own shop is a surprise - I really didn't see this coming. I wonder how Caplan feels about it (being nearest and probably serving the same type of 'old fart with money' customer)? no need to be disrespectful Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelap Posted March 22, 2009 Share #44 Posted March 22, 2009 .......an example is the Patagonia Company run by Ivan Chounard, they opened boutiques recently in Paris and Chamonix- Mont Blanc....... AKA 'Patagucci' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted March 22, 2009 Share #45 Posted March 22, 2009 no need to be disrespectful Disrespectful to whom? For years, Leica have mystified us with their marketing directions for years and it was Caplan who used to use the strapline "Where the Elite Meet and Greet". They desperately need to get out of this "rich man's toy" marketing hole and instead focus on just image quality - which is all that counts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delander † Posted March 22, 2009 Share #46 Posted March 22, 2009 Perhaps they will have all those little itty-bitty things that Leica dealers dont always stock. Useful for that I suppose. I wonder if as a customer one would be able to negotiate on price? I hope it is not just going to be a 'boutique' Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted March 22, 2009 Share #47 Posted March 22, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I hope it is not just going to be a 'boutique' I assume that's exactly what it's going to be, is there a problem? A gallery space would be nice I admit. Maybe it's best to wait and see what opens before condemning or over praising it. I have to say the tagline on the Caplan ads would have made me avoid the place like the plague. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted March 22, 2009 Share #48 Posted March 22, 2009 AKA 'Patagucci' Quite so Steve but Patagonia have, like Leica always produced a superb range of technically advanced outdoor apparel fronted by Ivan Chounard, possible one of the finest big wall climbers with many Yosemite routes pioneered by him. He is also an astonishing ice climber so I guess he has first hand knowledge of the needs of mountain activists. Gucci, on the other hand is a high class fashion house with great history, also with similar credentials in thier own field as Leica but what I think we will start to see is Leica aiming to become much more of a super brand for the discerning well heeled and like all major brands thier ultimate challenge is to be big in China Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelap Posted March 23, 2009 Share #49 Posted March 23, 2009 Quite so Steve but Patagonia have, like Leica always produced a superb range of technically advanced outdoor apparel fronted by Ivan Chounard, possible one of the finest big wall climbers with many Yosemite routes pioneered by him. He is also an astonishing ice climber so I guess he has first hand knowledge of the needs of mountain activists. Gucci, on the other hand is a high class fashion house with great history, also with similar credentials in thier own field as Leica but what I think we will start to see is Leica aiming to become much more of a super brand for the discerning well heeled and like all major brands thier ultimate challenge is to be big in China Indeed Kenneth. I've still got some Patagonia gear (not too much Gucci:)), although my adventurous skiing days are over following knee and back injuries a while ago. Superb kit though. As to Leica, well I agree that the super brand scenario is most certainly a factor, like it or not. Who's to say that Leica can't pull off the triple by remaining successfully engaged with its existing customers, expanding its professional customer base and attracting more of the world's high rollers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 23, 2009 Share #50 Posted March 23, 2009 They desperately need to get out of this "rich man's toy" marketing hole and instead focus on just image quality - which is all that counts. That may well be and I very much doubt Leica is in this hole at all, but in general many manufacturers would be happy to be there, as, small as it may be, this little hole is more like a pool awash with money..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShyTot Posted March 23, 2009 Share #51 Posted March 23, 2009 Why isn't it obvious that Leica are not taking this action to undermine it's dealer network, or provide another emporium full of second hand gear ? They're doing this to access another sector of the market where the dealers experience is limited. With a number of new products being launched in the next twelve months starting with the S2, it's essential that Leica quickly get their products to market. Would you rely on the existing dealers to have a stock of all this new product for nationwide cover? Leica will disappear if they let that happen. Some studio photographer in Bedford, or Maidstone, or Bristol ....., expresses an interest in the S2 system and whoa' they'll be talking to someone who's holding one, can offer a demo, has stock on hand, will stay behind to do an evening presentation, will visit the studio ....... etc. The last thing that Leica will want is to steal customers from Caplan, but look in Caplan's window .... is the Pradovit projector still there? Do they have every available lens in stock? Do they have a new M7 & MP in stock, on show ? Caplan is as good as the dealers get, but their business is where Leica have been and not where they are going. Leica need to make a paradigm shift and the shop is just part of it. Class leading product in every camera and non-camera sector they participate in, exceptional support to replace the 'back-up for amateurs' they've been providing. Things are about to change and the dealers and the customers will be better off for it. Give them a chance ! S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 23, 2009 Share #52 Posted March 23, 2009 I quite agree. This forum is nothing if not utterly inconsistent - In the S2 forum the prophets of doom are holding forth promising utter ruin if Leica does not get a "professional sales and support service" going, here they get reactions that are opposite when they are doing just that... Why isn't it obvious that Leica are not taking this action to undermine it's dealer network, or provide another emporium full of second hand gear ? They're doing this to access another sector of the market where the dealers experience is limited. With a number of new products being launched in the next twelve months starting with the S2, it's essential that Leica quickly get their products to market. Would you rely on the existing dealers to have a stock of all this new product for nationwide cover? Leica will disappear if they let that happen. Some studio photographer in Bedford, or Maidstone, or Bristol ....., expresses an interest in the S2 system and whoa' they'll be talking to someone who's holding one, can offer a demo, has stock on hand, will stay behind to do an evening presentation, will visit the studio ....... etc. The last thing that Leica will want is to steal customers from Caplan, but look in Caplan's window .... is the Pradovit projector still there? Do they have every available lens in stock? Do they have a new M7 & MP in stock, on show ? Caplan is as good as the dealers get, but their business is where Leica have been and not where they are going. Leica need to make a paradigm shift and the shop is just part of it. Class leading product in every camera and non-camera sector they participate in, exceptional support to replace the 'back-up for amateurs' they've been providing. Things are about to change and the dealers and the customers will be better off for it. Give them a chance ! S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelap Posted March 23, 2009 Share #53 Posted March 23, 2009 I suspect that ShyTot's comments are spot on here. Since photokina last year careful reading of Leica's announcements reveals just such a message. The S2 website mentions an 'exclusive service for professionals' and in the launch video Dr Kaufmann himself talks of a "new era dawning" and says that they are "...investing heavily in professional customer service and new sales concepts..." (my italics). They were never going to be able to do all of this overnight, and the current world economic climate doesn't help of course, but they seem to be making progress and perhaps we are starting to see that they intend to deliver on their promises? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongrelnomad Posted March 23, 2009 Share #54 Posted March 23, 2009 Some studio photographer in Bedford, or Maidstone, or Bristol ....., expresses an interest in the S2 system and whoa' they'll be talking to someone who's holding one, can offer a demo, has stock on hand, will stay behind to do an evening presentation, will visit the studio ....... etc. Your post simply highlights the unanswered question: will the new Mayfair store be an outlet dealing the professional side of the market (as you suggest above) or a boutique aimed at the more casual user (like Leica Ginza)? Until we answer that fundamental question, any discussion is moot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 23, 2009 Share #55 Posted March 23, 2009 Why not trust them to be doing the right thing, wait and see, give it a chance. Or just bleat on about how its all doomed to failure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShyTot Posted March 23, 2009 Share #56 Posted March 23, 2009 Your post simply highlights the unanswered question: will the new Mayfair store be an outlet dealing the professional side of the market (as you suggest above) or a boutique aimed at the more casual user (like Leica Ginza)? Until we answer that fundamental question, any discussion is moot. A boutique would be pointless with so many dealers serving the local market. This is about ensuring that the product gets to market and that the new lines don't totally depend on the evolution of an independent and cash restrained dealer network. The UK market radiates outwards from central London and a high proportion of the UK's studios must be within 60 miles of Mayfair. It's unlikely to be a Pro only location, but don't count on getting a film spool for an M3 there. This is 'make .... without the break .... time' for Leica. S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted March 23, 2009 Share #57 Posted March 23, 2009 I think it will be rather nice to have a manufacturer outlet. You'd expect to be able to try out new lenses on your camera, or new cameras on your lenses - without getting grief about it not being a demo copy. I can't imagine they will undercut their dealer prices, and if they are more expensive then many will just drop in to try stuff out and then go place an order with a dealer. Either way, Leica sells something. A store like this is more about presence in the market than it is about sales imho. Nikon and Canon seem to have stores all over the place, doesn't seem to have stopped dealers stocking their products... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 23, 2009 Share #58 Posted March 23, 2009 I'm sure they won't undercut dealer prices. They don't in the factory shop in Solms. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 23, 2009 Share #59 Posted March 23, 2009 If Dr Kauffman was aiming for the 'boutique' market I don't think he'd be investing so much money in a new system clearly aimed at the pro market. I imagine a store that has a full range of items, at least for display purposes, (for many dealers its simply not economically viable to carry full stock), a venue for training/presentations, hopefully a pro hire and service facility (be it a drop off point or limited services) for the S2 and maybe M and future SLR. As has been said elsewhere the S2 will only fly if Leica can provide the sort of back up that the pro market expects. I don't expect them to carry s/h stock, interesting LTM items and the like, nor are they likely to discout the prices. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share #60 Posted March 23, 2009 Whatever they decide regarding Leica Mayfair they are bound to make a few mistakes at first regarding what is on offer and they will probably respond to same and adjust ... Give them a chance to succeed and hopefully we will all be pleasantly surprised in 12 months time at their achievement. I wonder who will be asked to perform the official opening? Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.