Shutters down as Scunthorpe photo business could not picture surviving any longer
APHOTO processing shop has closed its doors after its owners said they could not see the business surviving any longer in Scunthorpe.
Bosses at Colorgrafix, which had been operating as a Kodak Express outlet and business at 159 High Street for almost 13 years, said they had seen a continued decline in trade since Tesco was built on the town's Gallagher Retail Park around a decade ago.
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The Kodak Express shop on Scunthorpe High Street which has closed down.
Trevor Brown, manager of the store, who also owns a shop in Louth, decided it was time to move out of Scunthorpe in a bid to keep his other photo shop succeeding.
He said: "We have closed it because the lease was three months from renewal and it's not viable anymore.
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"Before Tesco opened and provided free parking down at Gallagher Retail Park, we had four members of staff. But I believe Tesco took all the business out of town and when we lost the public car park to a new walk-in health centre, we had to start to get here for 8.15am just to be able to park.
"Trade started to decline and it's the same with other businesses at that end of town. You only have to look at how many charity shops there are and cash converters and empty shops.
"Landlords are having to reduce rents by 50 per cent to get people interested. Morrisons didn't affect us, nor did Asda. And I think there's been no interest in the town centre since Marks and Spencer left – it was the nail in the coffin."
Mr Brown said competition in terms of cheaper photo processing offered at supermarkets was not the cause of a decline in trade.
He said: "Pricing of photo processing isn't a major problem. We used to do photo processing offers at 4p per print and we got no more business.
"You get to a point where you've got to get out. When people pop down to Tesco, they can get everything else there."
One full and one part-time job have been transferred to Louth.
He added: "In Louth we are in a good location, the town doesn't have a Tesco yet so business is good. It's not declining like it was in Scunthorpe."
Tesco declined to comment.
Comments
by HattyTood
Monday, December 03 2012, 3:02PM
“I might take it on, I have a feeling we will all be wanting 'dynamo' powered torches, radios & tv soon . . . and calor gas stoves ;)”
by HarryWorth
Monday, December 03 2012, 12:51PM
“Pound Shop, Charity Shop or Boarded-up Shop?
What will become of this soon to be vacant unit?”
by Angrier
Monday, December 03 2012, 1:40AM
“His previous shop sold flint tools , but since Tesco moved to town that business just could not compete any more...”
by 6260firefly
Sunday, December 02 2012, 10:48AM
“In this digital age I reckon you'd do more business as a Zeppelin inflator.”
by HattyTood
Sunday, December 02 2012, 10:12AM
“We used to be a Nation of Shopkeepers
now we're not even a Nation”
by SisterWendy9
Saturday, December 01 2012, 9:22PM
“Asda prints are better than Tesco anyway. But why on earth would anyone go to a specialist shop when they can have their prints done while they're doing their grocery shop? Not that many people have prints nowadays.
Little shopkeepers are very fond of market forces until they're on the wrong end of them.”
by MarkBird
Saturday, December 01 2012, 7:22PM
“I cant remember the last time i paid to have pics printed. Dos'nt everyone print from their computer now?. Digital is the way to go why would people pay for something they can do themselves. Tesco are to blame? what a load of tosh.......move with the times or fall by the wayside im afraid.”
by Mozart
Saturday, December 01 2012, 1:50PM
“24144855. I think you joined up just after me, my army number was 24100222!!
That folks was todays' useless bit of information.”
by localad
Saturday, December 01 2012, 12:19PM
“So the free parking at ASDA and Morrisons did not affect this shop, but the free parking at Tesco did??
Wheres the logic in that argument?
People no longer need to use shops like this. We can all take pictures, download onto laptops computers, print at home, send to each other via email etc.
Sadly technology has made these places redundant, not Tesco.”
by ewbfchamp
Saturday, December 01 2012, 11:10AM
“Tesco declined to comment - well, they wouldn't would they? Not a shop I care for.”