Waikato Business News August/September 2016

16 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/September 2016
HCBA AWARDS 2016
New look Snapshot takes top city prize
Snapshot’s ability to constantly adapt
and improve its business was a key to
the popular and longstanding city camera
store’s big win in the Central Business
Association’s awards.
By GEOFF TAYLOR
The specialist camera
store which has been
in the Boswell family
since 1946 won MediaWorks
Business of the Year at
Hamilton Central Business
Association’s awards
evening at Sky City Casino.
If we didn’t adapt we’d die.
Unfortunately many of our
colleagues in the industry
didn’t adapt. Our cabinet
out there should be full of
Kodak cameras but they kept
their heads in the sand and
blamed digital.
“We’ve been a finalist
several times and a category
winner but never gone
any further,” says Graham
Boswell.
Graham says over the
years they have constantly
sought to improve the
customer experience of
Snapshot through mentors or
getting feedback from mystery
shoppers. But in recent
years the team realised the
size constraints at their previous
store near Embassy
Park.
“We’d been there for such
a long time and customers
identified that
it was tight and
crammed and
wasn’t new and
shiny like modern
retail stores
should be.”
It was time to
move and a year
ago after two
years of planning
the Boswells
made a “massive
shift” to another
site at 391
Victoria St. They
never even considered
leaving
the CBD.
“It was a
no brainer to stay,” says
Graham.
“The CBD has been absolutely
brilliant to us over the
years. We didn’t even look
anywhere outside the CBD.”
Graham and the team had
a list of non-negotiables for
the new site which included
a big open retail space with
no obstruction, a full working
studio and a dedicated
classroom for teaching.
Need help with anything
photographic ?
We’re passionate about helping our customers
capture and share the best moments in their
lives. We’ve been in Hamilton’s CBD since 1928
and one our best moments was recently winning
the BUSINESS OF THE YEAR and the
LIFESTYLE & WELL-BEING category at the
2016 Hamilton Central Business Awards!
A BIG THANK YOU
TO ALL OUR AMAZING CUSTOMERS & SUPPORTERS
at both our previous location and at our NEW superstore.
Please visit our new store if you haven’t been in yet. We’d love to show you around.
The Snapshot team. Graham and Jill Boswell with staff members Danni Arts and Sam Boswell.
The space is essential for
Snapshot’s vision of creating
a hub where photographic
enthusiasts can gather.
The coffee shop was
another addition.
Graham says it gives customers
something to do while
they are waiting for their
digital photos to print and
has worked so well they’re
looking at expanding the coffee
service to Saturdays.
Evolution has been a constant
theme for Snapshot
over the last two decades
as they have adapted to new
technology, particularly the
growth of digital photography
and the emergence of
cell phones.
“If we didn’t adapt we’d
die. Unfortunately many of
our colleagues in the industry
didn’t adapt. Our cabinet
out there should be full of
Kodak cameras but they kept
their heads in the sand and
blamed digital.
“We’ve had to weave in
and out, go to conferences,
learn new skills all the
way along. But we get up
every morning just as excited.
While we’ve been sleeping,
something fantastic may
have happened in the industry.
It’s great, it keeps everyone
alive and interested.”
Graham says the biggest
fear was that cell phones
were going to take the camera
industry away altogether. Cell
phones capture memories so
Snapshot embraced the style,
runs classes and installed the
latest technology to make it
easy to print quality photos
from any mobile device.
Snapshot’s slick operation
is a world away from the
18-year-old business called
Bells Photography based
opposite the Le Grand Hotel
site which Graham’s father
Maurice bought in 1946.
In 1958 Maurice purchased
the neighbouring building
and moved the business.
When Graham left school he
worked in the shop full-time
until purchasing it in 1992.
Graham’s overriding philosophy
of retail is to “love
the customer to death” and
give them what they need.
“If you can build a store
which gives a great customer
experience they’ll flock in.”
Snapshot carries a wide
variety of stock and does a
lot of special orders for customers.
Graham says there’s
a world-wide swing back to
camera stores that love what
they do “rather than handing
a customer a box and saying
‘you figure it out’.
“We set the camera up, get
it going for the customer and
they can come back as often
as they want to learn more
about it. We want people to
capture the best memories
they can so we offer classes
and one-on-one lessons
for both our own customers
and people who have bought
cameras elsewhere - we adopt
them as our own.”
Graham says when
Snapshot sells something it’s
the beginning of an adventure
with that customer.
“We want them to come
back time after time. If we
can enthuse them to use the
equipment to take better pictures
to record memories of
their family that will last for
generations, we feel good
about that.”
• Cameras and lenses
• Tripods, bags and cases
• Camera batteries & chargers
• Camera accessories
• Binoculars and telescopes
• Frames, big and small
• Passport photos for all nationalities, while-you-wait
• Professional photographic studio in-store for portraits,
business headshots & product photography
• Photos printed and framed on-site
• Need better photos? Need help with your camera?
We provide one-on-one tuition and classes
Proud to be the
Specialty Award
Runner Up in
the Hamilton
Central Business
Association 2016
Business Awards
View our full selection of
products and services at
snapshot.co.nz
391 Victoria St, Hamilton • ph 07 838 0031
We print from phones! Visit snapshot.co.nz on your device to order now.
CONTACT US
07 838 1321 | www.collinsautoelectrical.co.nz
415 Anglesea Street, Hamilton Central
Hamilton, 3204, New Zealand
80042