earleygallery Posted March 23, 2009 Share #61 Posted March 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) 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 The Queen surely! She can try out some new lenses on her M. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 Hi earleygallery, Take a look here Leica Camera Mayfair advertising for staff .... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stevelap Posted March 23, 2009 Share #62 Posted March 23, 2009 ....I wonder who will be asked to perform the official opening? Cheers dunk I don't really mind........assuming my invitation drops through the letterbox;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share #63 Posted March 23, 2009 The Queen surely! She can try out some new lenses on her M. Wonder if she has gone digital yet? Maybe they could ask that Armstrong-Jones chap to do the honours ? Cheers dunk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted March 23, 2009 Share #64 Posted March 23, 2009 Or just bleat on about how its all doomed to failure. But nobody in this thread is bleating on like that. It's just a discussion about what Leica might be planning and how this might impact on existing dealers, what it might mean for Leica as a company, etc. As it happens, I've been stating here for some time that, if Leica are serious about reaching advertising/commercial/fashion photographers with the S2, then they cannot simply sell it through the existing dealerships. It simply won't work - professional expectations at that level will not be met by dealers like Caplan, RG Lewis, Red Dot. However, if the new shop is also to sell the full M and D-Lux ranges it will inevitably also attract the fanboys, AP magazine readers, etc. and will have an impact on the existing dealers who have been loyal to the brand over many years. This will be a particularly thorny issue for London dealers if the Leica shop gets first call on available stock from Leica UK (for some of the more popular products, the problem for dealers is not being able to find a buyer but being able to obtain stock). Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted March 23, 2009 Share #65 Posted March 23, 2009 here they get reactions that are opposite when they are doing just that... But there are not "opposite" reactions in this thread nor do you know if Leica "are doing just that". For all we know, Mark might be spot on and the new shop will be a beautifully minimalist 'boutique' whose sales staff are more interested in fawning over Seal, Bryan Adams et al, than it will be in sending a knowledgeable rep up to an established studio in Manchester for a serious demonstration or spending time after hours in getting kit to a fashion photographer whose had his gear nicked in Milan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted March 23, 2009 Share #66 Posted March 23, 2009 You have to question Mayfair as a location if it's going to be anything other than a boutique. I would have thought most professional photographers would regard it as a nightmare location to get to. Fine if you're doing a little light retail therapy before a spot of lunch, but not if your shoot begins at 9 and your S2 shutter has just jammed... Besides, the spotty youths recruited from Jessops will just say "they all do that, Sir". Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share #67 Posted March 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) You have to question Mayfair as a location if it's going to be anything other than a boutique. I would have thought most professional photographers would regard it as a nightmare location to get to. Fine if you're doing a little light retail therapy before a spot of lunch, but not if your shoot begins at 9 and your S2 shutter has just jammed... Besides, the spotty youths recruited from Jessops will just say "they all do that, Sir". That is where hire stock would be useful ... and a motor cycle courier of which there are hundreds in London. And there will probably be more than one repairer capable of fixing a jammed S2 shutter in London if Leica has the sense to train them. Cheers dunk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 23, 2009 Share #68 Posted March 23, 2009 But there are not "opposite" reactions in this thread nor do you know if Leica "are doing just that". For all we know, Mark might be spot on and the new shop will be a beautifully minimalist 'boutique' whose sales staff are more interested in fawning over Seal, Bryan Adams et al, than it will be in sending a knowledgeable rep up to an established studio in Manchester for a serious demonstration or spending time after hours in getting kit to a fashion photographer whose had his gear nicked in Milan.I'm not quite sure that a shop in London will be of much help when you're in Milan... It might just be that the local Leica organisation would be more appropriate. But to come back to your remark, as stated earlier in this thread, the streamlining and expansion of the professional branch has been announced, so it is not unreasonable to use that idea as a working assumption as long as nobody knows what this is about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted March 23, 2009 Share #69 Posted March 23, 2009 You have to question Mayfair as a location if it's going to be anything other than a boutique... Besides, the spotty youths recruited from Jessops will just say "they all do that, Sir". Oh dear, the location, style of shop and the staff have all been condemmed before Leica have announced that it's even going to exist. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 23, 2009 Share #70 Posted March 23, 2009 You have to question Mayfair as a location if it's going to be anything other than a boutique. I would have thought most professional photographers would regard it as a nightmare location to get to. Fine if you're doing a little light retail therapy before a spot of lunch, but not if your shoot begins at 9 and your S2 shutter has just jammed... Besides, the spotty youths recruited from Jessops will just say "they all do that, Sir". Well parts of Mayfair are a minutes walk from Soho, still a major area for the creative trades, and slightly easier to get to by car, so it does make sense. I'm not sure how many 'spotty Jessops youths' read the BJP which is where the jobs were advertised. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted March 23, 2009 Share #71 Posted March 23, 2009 Not being a pro myself, where do they go if they want to rent, say, a Mamiya or Phase One back? I agree that biking the stuff around gets around the location question, maybe central is best from that point of view. It would be interesting to know how Leica sees the S2 market developing, rental vs outright purchase. It's quite a slug of capital to have tied up needing to earn its keep. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share #72 Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) Not being a pro myself, where do they go if they want to rent, say, a Mamiya or Phase One back? I agree that biking the stuff around gets around the location question, maybe central is best from that point of view. It would be interesting to know how Leica sees the S2 market developing, rental vs outright purchase. It's quite a slug of capital to have tied up needing to earn its keep. Teamwork and Calumet and The Pro Centre to name just 3 ... all in Central London Equipment Rental : Teamwork Digital Ltd, Suppliers of Professional Digital and Large Format Photographic Equipment CALUMET http://www.procentre.co.uk/procentre_home.html Cheers dunk Edited March 23, 2009 by dkpeterborough Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelap Posted March 23, 2009 Share #73 Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) Not being a pro myself, where do they go if they want to rent, say, a Mamiya or Phase One back? I agree that biking the stuff around gets around the location question, maybe central is best from that point of view. It would be interesting to know how Leica sees the S2 market developing, rental vs outright purchase. It's quite a slug of capital to have tied up needing to earn its keep. For digital backs in London: The Pro Centre (near Old Street) for Hassy, Phase, Mamiya (owned by Hassy, I think?) Calumet (Drummond Street) for Hassy, Mamiya Teamwork (Foley street) for Phase (not sure about rental though). Not long after photokina I had a chat with someone from Pro Centre about whether, given that Leica had mentioned some sort of cooperation with Phase, they might be interested in carrying the S2 for rental. They couldn't really be anything other than vague, given that very little was known about Leica's plans. However we chatted about how they would need to see evidence of take-up by the pro's first, but that the pro's would want to see evidence of a professional level support service before committing to the system. Pretty obvious stuff really, but it did highlight some of the obstacles to market take-up that the S2 system would face. Since then Leica have said (to David and Guy at PMA, see David's blog) that S2 sales, service and support would be handled mostly 'in-house'. So perhaps this new development is to be part of that initiative? Edited March 23, 2009 by stevelap Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJC Posted March 23, 2009 Share #74 Posted March 23, 2009 It would be a sight worth seeing if the Paps were banned from the opening unless they were using Leica. The publicity in the mags alone would save Leica thousands in advertising. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delander † Posted March 23, 2009 Share #75 Posted March 23, 2009 Perhaps this London development will be repeated in other major cities if it works out. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelap Posted March 24, 2009 Share #76 Posted March 24, 2009 Slightly more on the Mayfair store from BJP here: British Journal of Photography - Leica to open flagship store in London A demonstration lounge and VIP area for professional photographers, according to the article. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelap Posted May 20, 2009 Share #77 Posted May 20, 2009 Anyone heard anything more about this yet? I've asked Leica UK but somehow don't expect that they'll be very forthcoming at the moment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted May 22, 2009 Share #78 Posted May 22, 2009 hope they'll be open soon so i can check it out. i might try walking in with t-shirt & shorts with my MP-3 and MP-6 slung around my neck, and see if they'll let me in. i hope there is a counter to drop your gear off to get immediate/priority service as well as a hot-line phone to solms like the banks. and a section where you can custom build your a-la-carte MP, M8 whatever with all the materials and parts, finishes to choose from. and a vintage section as well. and i'm sure they'll have a nice leica gallery of images. if nothing else we can go and ogle the 0.95 noct and S2. with my attire that'll probably be behind the glass (cabinets) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted May 23, 2009 Share #79 Posted May 23, 2009 hope they'll be open soon so i can check it out. i might try walking in with t-shirt & shorts with my MP-3 and MP-6 slung around my neck, and see if they'll let me in. i hope there is a counter to drop your gear off to get immediate/priority service as well as a hot-line phone to solms like the banks. Apparently - from a trusted source - they will actually have Dr Kauffman in the shop, in a cage, so you can vent all your ideas/anger at him directly and he has to listen! What a masterstroke they've pulled with that one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomasis7 Posted May 24, 2009 Share #80 Posted May 24, 2009 Mark Norton probably wants buy m8.2 in WalMart! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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