Do you remember the last time you took your camera in to have the photos developed? If the answer is no then you can probably understand why Black’s Photography is closing its doors.
Blacks Photography recently announced that it will be permanently shutting its doors. All 59 stores will be closing which will result in 485 employees losing their jobs, the majority of whom reside in Ontario, Canada.
In 2009 Blacks was bought out by Telus for 28 million, but they struggled to adapt to the changing landscape of photography. With the advancements being made to smartphones and digital cameras people are opting to share their photos over the internet and social media, instead of getting them physically developed. As a result places like Blacks have been forced to either adapt or die, and they have taken the latter route.
As smartphone and digital cameras have become more commonplace, the photo printing industry has seen sever annual declines for the past few years; and this past year photo print sales dropped 18% to an estimated $510 million according to NPD.
Blacks began as a radio and appliance store in mid-town Toronto which opened in the 1930s run by Eddie Black. In 1939, with the Royal family’s visit fast approaching, Black noticed there was an interest in photography so he added cameras to his inventory, which sold out almost immediately. In 1947 Black’s sons Robert and Bill took over the store and turned it into a guns, fishing tackle, and photography store; then in the following year they opened the first specialty camera store. In 1961 the youngest of the Black boys joined Robert and Bill and took over control of the company, and in 1969 it went public. Since then it has changed ownership several times: in 1985 it was bought but Scott’s Hospitality for $100 million, and then in 1993 Fuji Photo Film Canada bought it for $65 million.
On August 8th, after 85 years Blacks Photography will become just like the many photos it has developed over the years: just a memory.
