Calumet Photographic

Calumet Photographic, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Photography retail and photofinishing
Predecessor	Calumet Manufacturing Company
Founded	1939
Founder	Kenneth Becker
Defunct	2014 (US operations)
Fate	US assets acquired by C&A Marketing in 2014; US retail stores closed by 2016
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois , United States
Area served	United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium (as of 2012)
Products	Photographic equipment and photofinishing services
Number of employees	200 (2012)

Overview

Calumet Photographic, Inc., commonly referred to as Calumet Photo and previously known as Calumet Manufacturing Company, is a specialty retailer and photofinishing service provider in the photography sector. The company was originally established with its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. By 2012, Calumet operated a global network of 32 stores, including 15 in the United States, 8 across the United Kingdom, 6 in Germany, 2 located in the Netherlands, and 1 in Belgium. It employed approximately 200 staff members and generated annual revenues around $10 million.

Corporate Developments

On March 12, 2014, Calumet Photographic initiated proceedings under Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Subsequently, C&A Marketing—a New Jersey-based firm owning several retail photography brands such as Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Inkley's, Camera World, and RitzPix—acquired Calumet's US assets for $4 million on May 1, 2014.

Following the acquisition, on May 7, 2014, the company declared plans to resume operations at its Oak Brook, Illinois retail outlet. This location reopened on May 11 and functioned as a key flagship store for the brand. However, by January 2016, the remaining three retail locations were permanently closed.

History

The origins of Calumet trace back to 1939 when Kenneth Becker established the Calumet Manufacturing Company in Chicago, initially operating as a sporting goods retailer that occasionally sold cameras. Following several years dedicated to producing darkroom equipment, in 1955 the company acquired the rights to Kodak's Master View 4x5 camera, facilitating Kodak's exit from the view camera market. During the 1960s, Calumet introduced innovations such as the Caltar line of large format lenses, the C-2 roll film holder, and nitrogen burst processors for film and prints.

By 1980, Calumet had shifted focus from specializing solely in proprietary large format products to offering a comprehensive range of photographic equipment. Three years later, in 1983, the company ceased manufacturing view cameras domestically and began outsourcing production to facilities in the Netherlands. In 1989, Calumet made a significant enhancement to Polaroid’s instant film technology. The early 1990s saw the company relocating its corporate headquarters to an 85,000-square-foot office space in Bensenville, Illinois.

During the 1990s, Calumet was acquired by Wolsely plc, a UK-based FTSE100 firm primarily engaged in plumbing and construction sectors. Wolsely already owned KJP, a leading professional photo retail chain with outlets across the UK as well as Germany and the Netherlands. After divesting Calumet in the early 2000s, the European branches were rebranded under the Calumet name. By early 2009, Calumet operated approximately twenty stores throughout Europe. In 2007, its Bensenville retail location was relocated adjacent to Oakbrook Center mall in Oak Brook, Illinois.

In February 2012, following a bankruptcy court decision related to Penn Camera’s closure of five out of eight stores, Calumet acquired the remaining three Penn Camera locations in the Washington, DC area. Later that year, after Ritz Camera’s liquidation, Calumet expanded by opening three new stores across Maryland, Florida, and Illinois. At that time, its headquarters were situated on West Bliss Street in Chicago.

Calumet stores were known for hosting complimentary educational events including classes, seminars, and product demonstrations within dedicated spaces.

On March 13, 2014, an announcement was made via Calumet’s Facebook page expressing regret over the immediate closure of all United States operations after seventy-five years in business; however, European outlets were set to continue operating. Concurrently, their website and Twitter accounts became inactive. This message was also displayed on the locked doors of shuttered stores. According to reports from Crain’s Chicago Business, the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy following a lender’s decision to discontinue financial support.

In April 2014, certain key stakeholders submitted bids for Calumet’s inventory, store leases, and other assets. Subsequently on May 2nd, C&A Marketing purchased most of these assets and declared intentions to revive both calumetphoto.com and the equipment rental division. Within days, C&A Marketing announced plans to reopen the Oak Brook location on May 11.

By January 2016, C&A Marketing had closed all remaining Calumet retail stores across the United States.

European operations

The 2014 insolvency of Calumet Photographic’s U.S. division did not affect the company’s activities in the United Kingdom and continental Europe, where all retail locations have continued normal operations.

With the expansion of the camera rental sector, Calumet Photographic UK introduced a specialized rental website to showcase available equipment and enable customers to book rentals online. In 2014, the UK branch earned a Gold Retailer accolade for outstanding customer service from both Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera. The following year, in March 2015, Calumet launched the Student Photographer Of The Year award initiative, collaborating with notable photography brands such as Canon Inc and Manfrotto.

On June 7, 2016, Aurelius, a mid-market investment firm, announced its acquisition of Calumet International Ltd., which includes both the Calumet Photographic brand and Bowens Lighting, a manufacturer of professional lighting equipment. By July 2016, Calumet Photographic maintained a physical footprint consisting of nine stores in the UK, six in Germany, two in the Netherlands, and one in Belgium.

Aurelius further expanded on March 3, 2017, by acquiring Wex Photographic, a competitor based in the UK, with plans to merge the two companies. Later that year, in September 2017, it was revealed that both businesses would be unified under the Wex Photo Video brand within the UK market. Additionally, a new flagship store—the largest in the country—was opened in London. As of 2023, Wex Photo Video operates 14 retail outlets across major UK cities alongside mail order and equipment rental services.