[PHOTO] "Black's photography stores to close"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's business reporter, Francine Kopun, reports on the impending closure of Canadian photography retail store Black's. The economics of photography just did not work in the chain's favour.

A change in how Canadians share photos has forced the closure of the remaining 59 Black’s stores in Canada, six years after the chain was purchased by wireless company Telus.

“Technology is changing the way Canadians take and share pictures,” said Luiza Staniec, a spokesperson for Black’s and Vancouver-based Telus, the wireless company that bought Black’s Photo Corp. in 2009 for $28 million.

Staniec said Canadians are sharing their pictures on social media sites like Instagram and choosing cloud storage solutions instead of printing out pictures, a primary business at Black’s.

The Canadian chain was founded in 1948 by Eddie Black. It used to sell and process film. It sold cameras and phones.

There were 113 locations when Telus purchased the company in 2009, according to a press release on the company’s website.