Papers filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware said there were two potential buyers for the business. If no deals were signed at a July 20 auction, however, the company would move to liquidate to avoid $3 million in rent due in September, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The chain, which has already eliminated 400 outlets, is a victim of the digital age, analysts said.
With traffic in malls down and digital cameras taking business from traditional film, the chance of a viable deal to save the company is questionable, the newspaper said.
"What they've done has never been done before and will never be done again," said Gary Pageau, a publisher at the Photo Marketing Association.
The stores began in 1918 with a portrait studio on the boardwalk of Atlantic City before building into a national chain. The company also included the Boater's World Marine Centers, which have already closed.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
Ritz Bankruptcy
I am one of those small retail camera stores that are hanging on, so even though they were competition, I feel for Ritz and the employees. We have been in business over 40 years ourselves, and we are now one of only three photo specialty stores left in town. As recently as 20 years ago, there were over a dozen, not including seven Wolf camera stores. What the article says is true: people don't realize the ripple affect they have when they try to save $20 on a $1000 camera. If you only saw how many of my regular customers come in with camera problems, only to pull out a Panasonic, Lumix, Casio or Kodak they bought at Best Buy, and want me to show them how to use it. And the real sad truth is, in most cases, they didn't save any money and didn't get the camera that was right for them. I don't even try to sell online. I use my website to inform and educate. Thank goodness my customers use me for their printing services. To see how an old fashioned camera store really operates, check us out at http://www.moldaners.com
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