Back

Fujifilm flagship store just opened in London

Listen to the automated audio version of this article:

That’s right, this morning the brand-new Fujifilm flagship store opened its doors to the public! And of course, I was there queuing!

House Of Photography is what Fujifilm calls this new “experiential concept store”. And they indeed offer all sorts of services to make you feel at home.

But let’s start from the beginning…

The Long Wait

Historically, Fujifilm UK has never been a big player on social media.
There seems to be a positive change on this front, though. And the past few weeks have seen an increase in content. And Fujifilm ran a good promotion before this grand opening.
The first 100 visitors queueing outside of the Fujifilm flagship store were hoping to be among the 5 lucky winners of an X-A7 camera. OK, maybe it’s not the camera everybody wishes for, but still very good and a pretty generous 600 quid gift.

3 hours before the opening, the first 100 were already there in the cold (me included)!

We all received a goodie bag including an Instax product (the instant camera), a cute Fujifilm X-T3 USB stick, a branded coffee tumbler and a pencil. And coffee while we were waiting!

But I haven’t been lucky. I didn’t get the X-A7, and my Instax product was the cheapest of the lot. But the worst part, to me at least, is that it’s PINK!
Well, it’s still a free Instax, right?
I saw one of the winners, and he was the guy who spent the time in the queue taking pictures with his Sony camera. So unfair.

Anyway, at 11 sharp, I got in!

Fujfiilm flagship store

The Store

I must say I like this new Fujifilm flagship store (by the way, it has a website and a so-so app).
It’s not as big as it would have been in the US and it can be hard to move around when packed, like today. But it has plenty of creative spaces that are very enjoyable.

There is a chilling room downstairs with seats, possibly where you’ll be able to have a coffee and discuss. There is a professional studio that you can book. A vlogging/blogging space with props that would make for a nice background. A gallery which is currently featuring an amazing series of photos of David Bowie by Markus Klinko. And, of course, the store, with every Fujifilm product on display, most of which can be tried on the spot.

There’s also a LEGO version of Mount Fuji with a running Shinkansen bullet train under it!

I don’t particularly enjoy the massive crowds, and I was a bit gutted about the pink Instax (!!!), so I didn’t stay long today. But I’ll definitely go back to explore and interact more.

The Interesting Bits

It’s worth noting a couple things…

The small David Bowie exhibition is not to be missed. Congrats to Klinko for the beautiful work.
You can now book your Fujifilm camera and lens rentals directly from the source. I mean, they still rely on Hireacamera for that, but you can pick up and return Fuji equipment at the Fuji shop.
I mentioned the studio: it’s a fully equipped professional studio and can be booked for a full day or just half. Not for cheap, though.
There are workshops and sessions in-store. Although, for now, they’re very basic and not aimed at professional photographers.

I’m curious to see if this new Fujifilm flagship store will generate enough professionals’ attention to drive the focus towards high-end products rather than the Instax family. The instant camera models seem to be the best-selling product in the UK. Still, Fujifilm as a company has always put the professionals’ needs before marketing, and I think this is not always obvious in this country.
Time will tell.


Help Support this Blog

If you like this post then you can see more of my work and follow me on Instagram , Twitter , YouTube , TikTok , Mastodon , Linkedin and my Facebook Page .

If you find any of the content on this blog useful, or if you kindly decide to support my work and help me create more content for you, you can make a donation via PayPal . Even if you donate as low as £1, just know that I think you are a wonderful human being and I can't thank you enough.

Purchasing anything from my store would go a long way in supporting my work and allowing me to create more content for this blog and YouTube. Items start at £2.97 only. And you can also find prints, zines and my tuition offers. Many thanks in advance!
You can find more of my prints on Etsy and Society6.

If you want to receive regular updates and exclusive content, notices of occasional special offers, etc, then sign up for the newsletter. There's also a 10% discount coupon for you upon signing and regular offers that are only available to subscribers.

To find out more about my photo gear, I created a dedicated list on Amazon and Kit.co


Disclosure — Please know that some of the links in this blog are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. Always keep in mind that I link companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases.
The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you. Purchasing via these links will make no difference to the cost to you (if anything, you might even get a discount) but the commission I receive will help me pay a percentage of the costs for this blog.
Thank you!

fabienb
fabienb
https://fabienb.blog
Creative. Nomad. Photographer. (he/him) /// formerly: Creative Director, UX Lead, DesignOps Manager, Web/Graphic Designer, Photographer, YouTuber, DJ, Public Speaker, Content Creator, AI-enthusiast, Food-Blogger... /// Award-winning Designer and Photographer, published and exhibited worldwide /// also known as Koan (DJ, Design)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.