BEST OF THE REST: February 25

February 25, 2011: Christchurch photo retailers battered but safe…Dymocks fit as a trout, but wants to grey market…Expert CP+ report…Camera House website ‘pleasing’…Nintendo not talking

The most important report this week came from a most unlikely source, PMA Newsline International, informing us that photo retailing colleagues in Christchurch are all safe. Some are faced with extensive earthquake damage and an uncertain future, but according to the report, supported by other sources we have spoken to, all are accounted for and safe.

‘My wife, Jacquie, and all my staff escaped unhurt. I have heard from all the other photo retailers in the town and they are all okay,’ Lawry Hanafin (Hanafins) told Newsline.

A story from RetailBiz which caught our eye – and links in nicely with this week’s Photo Counter opinion piece on the financial woes of Angus & Robertson and Borders – is an interview with Dymock’s CEO Don Glover, who says they are doing quite well, thank you very much, and would be doing even better if book retailers were allowed to parallel import!

‘The book selling industry is in desperate need for reform. We’ve argued for the removal of parallel importation restrictions for publishers. We believe this will invigorate booksellers to access cheaper books at wholesale prices and bring those cheaper products here,’ he said.

Australia’s leading enthusiast website, Photo Review has a thorough and relevant report by Australia’s leading photographic equipment reviewer, Margaret Brown, on the recent CP+ 2011 trade show in Yokohama, at which a shedload of new camera gear was released. Find out what’s coming down the pipeline in the next few months. Margaret also interviews Canon’s managing director and chief executive of the Image Communication Products Operation at Canon Inc, Masaya Maeda, and reports on a tour of the Canon factory on the Photo Review website.

Connected Australia features an interview with ‘The Camera House’ strategic marketing manager Adam Slattery, in which he pronounces the performance of the new CH website ‘pleasing’.

Last week we noted the rending or garments and gnashing of teeth in the Comments following the shocking revelation in Current that Nintendo had ramped up the price of its latest game console by $100 (incl GST) for the Australian market. Then came some righteous indignation from editor Patrick Avenell after Nintendo went all bashful about explaining the reason for the apparent price hike. As a fellow trade journo I have some sympathy for Mr Avenell – after all, he went out on a limb in attempting to justify the Australian pricing to the trade. But hey guys, it could be worse – you could be in the camera business…See our story on the local pricing of the Panasonic GF2, for instance. But at least Panasonic had the courtesy to respond to our impertinent questions!