29 June 2007
Leach Colour, the UK 's oldest prolab, is going back to its roots with the launch of a prototype portrait studio in Cheshire - in a bid to stem falling sales.
Richard Leach, MD at the Huddersfield-based business, describes the move as 'mission critical ' in the wake of plummeting revenue in the social photography department at Leach Colour.
He said: 'It 's no secret that social labs in the UK are reaching a 'tipping point ' and we all have to respond to the relentless downward pressure on margins by revisiting our commercial strategy. Some labs have already gone out of business. Others are desperately downsizing staff and premises. Part of our own survival strategy is to launch a new portrait studio in Wilmslow in a bid to drive more volume through our social lab division.'
He added: 'We hope that by doing this we can both protect our dedicated and highly professional staff and continue to offer our photographer customers nationwide the quality of service they expect from Leach Colour.'
Leach Colour is no stranger to the capture industry. The business was originally launched as a portrait studio in 1891 and it has owned and run both commercial and social studios for over 80 years of its 116 year history - selling off the last commercial studio as recently as 1999.