West Yorkshire Cameras Closing

Oh, no! They have been my go-to shop for film gear for several years. :(

Never have been disapponted with anything from WYC
 
Just read this. They say they will be continuing online for the time being. But sad news about their shop. Visited it regularly.
 
Stephen L said:
Just read this. They say they will be continuing online for the time being. But sad news about their shop. Visited it regularly.
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Yes continuing online only until the stock is gone and completely closed by end of February 2025.
 
I'm glad the online is continuing at least for a while - they've been the source of some good LF gear for me.
 
Sad news, unfortunately this might start to happen more to those that deal in old gear, it eventually becomes uneconomical to even attempt a repair.
And the recent increased popularity of film has put even more pressure on the aging stock of good condition gear.
 
Just saw that on Kosmo Photo, sad news indeed, bought quite a few things over the years, always a pleasure to deal with.
 
todders said:
Hi some really sad news West Yorkshire Cameras are closing on the 17th November to the public.

They are still having there annual sale starting on the 24th November.

The link contains the full statement and other details

https://wycameras.com/blogs/news/we-are-closing
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That's a really detailed and heartfelt explanation of the issues leading to the final decision, so kudos for treating customers with that respect.
 
Yeah. Rising costs. Quelle surprise.

That's really sad news, especially for the folks that run it. They were a genuinely good place to go to - either to buy or sell and it's such a shame that a relative minnow has left the pool of sharks that seems to be ever growing these days.

:(
 
Just seen the news as well. I always check out what they have just in case there's something I haven't already had!
 
I have enjoyed looking at their web site many times but only bought from them a couple of times, the last time was a 75mm f/5.6 Super Angulon and a few other items that somehow got added to my basket.

It will be sad to see them go.
 
I also am saddened by the news. Most of my LF lenses came from there (with a few exotics from elsewhere) but in general WYC and Catlabs were my main suppliers of LF equipment. I'm been to their shop several times, both in the Corn Exchange and Grand Arcade; on one visit to the former premises, Howard and Hattie were in the cafe at the next table, and helped me to connect to the WiFi there. Genuinely helpful people throughout.

With their loss, and the nearby Dale Photographic (bags, LF lens and other items) Leeds has suffered a great loss photographically. As has the whole analogue community. I noticed Max (I assume) from Intrepid sent a message via their Instaglam (sic) account bemoaning the loss of his tea bag supplier :)
 
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H'mm so the number of people trying/using film just wasn't enough to keep these places open, afterall it's basically about profit and loss.
 
excalibur2 said:
H'mm so the number of people trying/using film just wasn't enough to keep these places open, afterall it's basically about profit and loss.
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Reading their blog, I don't think it's lack of demand as much as other overhead costs combined with no guarantee of supply (given that almost everything will be second-hand). They stated that the business could probably have continued if they moved it to an online only operation operating out of a warehouse or something, but that that would have been against the ethos of the business - which was to have a shop where people could walk in and buy (and sell) equipment.
 
excalibur2 said:
H'mm so the number of people trying/using film just wasn't enough to keep these places open, afterall it's basically about profit and loss.
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The majority of their trade came from secondhand gear and i think the margins just became too tight, as he said in his post on the website keeping all the staff wasn't sustainable, there are a lot more players in the market now so trying to keep stocked up from a dwindling pool must have been tricky. A real shame :(
 
RaglanSurf said:
The majority of their trade came from secondhand gear and i think the margins just became too tight, as he said in his post on the website keeping all the staff wasn't sustainable, there are a lot more players in the market now so trying to keep stocked up from a dwindling pool must have been tricky. A real shame :(
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Seems likely that a shortage of repairers would also be a factor for pricing and warranties, so a vulnerability there. They must be one of the few retailers with an "ugly" description and an Outlet section with faults declared, so I always respected them for that.
 
RaglanSurf said:
The majority of their trade came from secondhand gear and i think the margins just became too tight, as he said in his post on the website keeping all the staff wasn't sustainable, there are a lot more players in the market now so trying to keep stocked up from a dwindling pool must have been tricky. A real shame :(
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.......and the budget doesn't help small businesses.
 
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