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Camera World

From Alfawiki
Camera World
Company type
IndustryRetail
Founded1977
FounderJack Shin
FatePurchased by Ritz Camera, becoming a brand under Ritz
Headquarters
Area served
North America

Camera World operated as a photographic equipment and photofinishing retailer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States, established in 1977. It functioned as an independent entity until 2002, after which it became a brand owned by Ritz Camera & Image or C&A Marketing from 2002 through 2016. During the mid-1990s, the company stood among the nation's largest mail-order sellers of photography and audio products.[1] In 1998, the business generated $80 million in revenue, with $16 million attributed to e-commerce.[2] By 1999, revenues increased to $115.7 million (adjusted for inflation), and the firm moved its administrative headquarters and inventory to a new location in Beaverton, Oregon.[3] The sole physical retail outlet in downtown Portland and its online operations were acquired by Ritz Camera in 2002, which continued using the Camera World brand. After Ritz was bought by C&A Marketing in 2012, the Camera World brand remained active under Ritz for both retail and online channels until the store's closure on January 21, 2016.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

History

Established in Portland in 1977 by Chung Doo "Jack" Shin,[4][5] often referred to as J. D. Shin, this Korean-American entrepreneur immigrated from South Korea to the United States in 1973 and relocated from New York to Portland a few years later.[5][6] Initially launched as a single retail location on the ground floor of the Swetland Building at SW 5th and Washington streets in downtown Portland, the company never expanded its physical store count,[6] instead growing through mail-order sales starting in 1982,[5] followed by online sales. By 1990, Camera World employed 45 staff members,[1] with sales reaching $53 million by 1993.[7]

File:Camera World store at original location in 1985.jpg
Camera World's original downtown Portland store inside the Swetland Building in 1985, which also housed its extensive mail-order operations.

In the mid-1990s, Camera World ranked among the largest mail-order retailers nationwide for photographic and audio products.[1] Approximately three-quarters of its revenue came from mail-order sales around 1995, supported by a workforce of about 65 employees.[6] The company's headquarters and mail-order fulfillment were situated within the same Swetland Building that housed its retail outlet. Shin owned this entire seven-story building, having purchased it during the late 1970s.[6][4]

In November 1995, the retailer moved its only storefront to a significantly larger space at 400 SW Sixth Avenue, located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Washington Street—just one block from its previous site. The former store occupied roughly 5,000 square feet (460 m2), while the new location offered approximately 9,700 square feet (900 m2) of retail space. Meanwhile, mail-order operations and administrative offices remained at the Swetland Building.[6]

The company ventured into e-commerce with the launch of Cameraworld.com in 1996. In 1997, founder J. D. Shin sold Camera World to Sverica International, an investment firm based in San Francisco.[8] Internet sales surged from $1 million in 1997 to over $15 million by 1998.[9][10] Total revenues reached about $80 million in 1998, with online sales accounting for one-fifth,[2] increasing to $115.7 million in 1999 where e-commerce comprised over half of revenue.[3] The company officially rebranded as Cameraworld.com in March 1999.[11]

File:Camera World's retail store - downtown Portland, Oregon (2015).jpg
The Camera World retail location at 400 SW Sixth Avenue served customers from 1995 until its closure in 2016.

By the late 1990s, corporate offices and distribution facilities were located in Northeast Portland.[12] In 2000, a new warehouse was constructed in Beaverton, Oregon, prompting relocation of most operations and administrative functions there.[3] Employee numbers peaked around this time at approximately 175 staff members.[13]

In 2002, Ritz Interactive Inc. acquired Camera World's online business,[9][13] while Ritz Camera Centers purchased its physical store and catalog segments.[14] Both Ritz divisions continued operating under the Camera World brand.

Following Ritz's acquisition by C&A Marketing in 2012, Camera World was among several Ritz brands retained by the new owner,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name[15][16] though use of the brand ceased soon after the only brick-and-mortar outlet closed in late January 2016.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named oreg-1994nov25
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named oreg-1999mar8
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named oreg-2000jul10
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nrhp-registration
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named oreg-1983oct16
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named oreg-1995nov16
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named transplants
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pbj-1997mar30
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pbj-2002may3
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named focus
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named oreg-1999nov11
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pbj-2000jan
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ritz buys
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sells flagship
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pmanews-2012sep
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named C&A-2016jan19
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named C&A-2016feb16

External links

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