The corporate-speak press release is below, but this is actually really cool: UK photographers can order B&W materials directly from Ilford, who will ship it to your nearest Ilford stockist for pick-up the following day. No more endless waiting for backordered items!
Ilford Photo press release:
Mobberley, Cheshire. 6 December 2006 – Solving the problem of marrying supply with demand for its products, while extending its strong links with users and retailers, ILFORD Photo offers the ideal solution for ensuring the easy availability of the world’s favourite black-and-white photographic film, paper and photochemistry. ILFORD Photo, the world’s leading supplier of black-and-white photography products, has launched a new service to bring together users and retailers of its products, to the benefit of everyone involved. Called Direct2Dealer, the service is based on a catalogue of the more than 380 products available from ILFORD Photo. The catalogue is being distributed to colleges and universities which run photographic courses, as well as to retailers, and is available free to users by telephoning 0800 234 6484.
Users order the products they require from the catalogue direct from ILFORD Photo by telephoning the number above to pay for the products which are priced at an average retail level – carriage is free on orders totalling more than £45, otherwise it is £4.99.
The products ordered are sent to the customer’s nearest ILFORD Photo participating stockist from where they can be collected. Orders placed before 1:00pm should be delivered the next working day. The retailer’s margin is paid by way of a monthly credit note.
"We are not competing with our retailers here," says ILFORD Photo UK sales director Steven Brierley, "in fact we are giving them extra support, for we realise it is unlikely that retailers will stock our complete range of black-and-white photographic products, but we regularly receive calls from users saying they cannot find a stockist for a particular item they wish to purchase.
"Via the Direct2Dealer system we are working both with retailers to ensure they can supply users with whatever ILFORD Photo products they require, and with users to provide factory-fresh products straight from ILFORD Photo’s warehouse."
The retailer benefits not only from receiving his margin for handling the collection, but he is provided with an opportunity to establish contact with a regular customer and the option of possibly selling other products.
"The range of products we supply is vast," says Brierley, "so when all that a user want is a box of paper or a single roll of film, he or she can club together with others to make up an order to save the carriage charge on orders under £45. No doubt students and camera club members in particular will take advantage of this opportunity."
Full details of the Direct2Dealer service and all ILFORD Photo products are available at www.ilfordphoto.com
Via PhotographyBLOG