2 March 2006
Fotoview has resurrected one of the industries oldest services in order to help specialist camera shops and pharmacists to continue to provide a film processing and digital imaging facility.
The "Fotoview Direct" service provides retailers with a stock of postage-paid Dealer Order Envelopes that can be used to send customer's 35 mm films and camera cards, securely, direct to Fotoview's Keighley laboratory for processing.
This timely initiative by the long-established, London-based processor gives hard pressed retailers the opportunity of continuing to provide a photographic service in the face of continuing cut backs in provision from the rest of the industry.
Managing Director Jagdeep Shah said, "The closure of Kodak's and other processing laboratories has meant that many retailers have been left without a D&P partner. Obviously, the well documented reduction in the use of film has made a collection and delivery service uneconomical - hence the demise of Print Movers.
"But we were being besieged by chemists and specialist camera shops asking us to provide a solution. The logical answer was to use the old 'Tudor-style' postal service which costs pharmacists nothing, but means that even the remotest chemist or camera shop, from the Scottish Highlands to the Channel Islands or even Northern Ireland, can continue to provide their customers with a professional film processing and digital imaging solution. We have designed a simple-to-use dealer envelope and kept to the most popular services only. If a customer has an unusual request, the pharmacist can ring our customer care line for advice and a price."
The Fotoview Direct service includes a free POS package with a realistic 4 day service time.
Mr Shah said, "As long as there are 35 mm cameras in use, there will the need to develop and process the film. Whilst we are rapidity enlarging our new digital offerings, the traditional market is there to be serviced - we just need to be creative in the way we do this."
Fotoview's Keighley laboratory can be contacted on 01535 606030.