Grays of Westminster is wary of extensive discounting, but has plenty of other positive initiatives. “Rather than beat our clients over head with promotion after promotion, which is as irritating as somebody ringing you all the time, we are trying to contribute to people’s enjoyment and appreciation of photography via live streams and video,” says founder and owner, Gray Levett (below).
“The response has been impressive and really quite heartening. Photography gives you a sense of the joy of creation, and this is the single founding principle which informs and guides everything we do. Via the live stream, YouTube videos, newsletter, etc, we hope to lift people’s spirits until the day we can welcome everyone back into the shop.”
He reports the most popular live feed so far has been on the Nikon Z6 full-frame mirrorless, hosted by staff member Becky Danese (below). Gray also plans to do videos himself, focussing on some of the most interesting and historic pieces in the shop. The business, meanwhile, forges ahead. “Once people got used to the lockdown, our online orders have increased significantly,” he adds.
“I was chatting to a customer and they said there were bored and needed a bit of ‘havingness,’ so were going to treat themselves – as well as investing their time in learning more about photography. We are also still very keen to buy quality used gear.”