Silverprint R.I.P ?

[ozphoto]

Darn! I used them regularly when they were based in London, in fact I still have several items I bought from them, which still do their job perfectly.

I'll cross my fingers they can be resurrected, but if the owners couldn't figure it out the first time around, it doesn't bode well for a second bite of the cherry . . . .

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Darn! I used them regularly when they were based in London, in fact I still have several items I bought from them, which still do their job perfectly.

I purchased my first enlarger (Meopta Magnifax) from the previous iteration of Silverprint when they were based in London.

 

[neilt3]

Process Supplies took over Foma distribution from Martin Reed recently, so they will have it in stock. After selling Silverprint Martin was working from the basement of Process Supplies premises.

Ian

I ordered the 10x8 from Process Supplies and received it within a day or so , so I'll be using them again .
Now I just need to finish refurbishing the camera and adapting both ends to suit my lens boards and a regular 10x8 back .

Darn! I used them regularly when they were based in London, in fact I still have several items I bought from them, which still do their job perfectly.

I'll cross my fingers they can be resurrected, but if the owners couldn't figure it out the first time around, it doesn't bode well for a second bite of the cherry . . . .

First time around they were a very successful business.
I believe the original owners sold the business, and well , you know the rest .
I also wonder if their problems might have started when the moved premises a few years back .
They abandoned the place they were in losing all local trade and the local staff to move out of the area .
Maybe this was a mistake ?

 

[snusmumriken]

First time around they were a very successful business.
I believe the original owners sold the business, and well , you know the rest .
I also wonder if their problems might have started when the moved premises a few years back .
They abandoned the place they were in losing all local trade and the local staff to move out of the area .
Maybe this was a mistake ?

Their move from central London to an industrial estate in Poole puzzled me at the time. It also made me far less keen to volunteer for meetings in London.

But maybe footfall in the London premises did not justify the rent, with film users becoming a much smaller and more dispersed set of people.

 

[neilt3]

Their move from central London to an industrial estate in Poole puzzled me at the time. It also made me far less keen to volunteer for meetings in London.

But maybe footfall in the London premises did not justify the rent, with film users becoming a much smaller and more dispersed set of people.

You could well be right , but I'm sure there would have been cheaper premises out off the centre of London they could have moved too without crapping on their loyal staff and making them redundant.
I've been shopping elsewhere since then unless I really couldn't source what I wanted elsewhere.
( Can you tell I'm a Union man !? )

 

[ozphoto]

I ordered the 10x8 from Process Supplies and received it within a day or so , so I'll be using them again .
Now I just need to finish refurbishing the camera and adapting both ends to suit my lens boards and a regular 10x8 back .



First time around they were a very successful business.
I believe the original owners sold the business, and well , you know the rest .
I also wonder if their problems might have started when the moved premises a few years back .
They abandoned the place they were in losing all local trade and the local staff to move out of the area .
Maybe this was a mistake ?

I admit, I am amazed they lasted as long as they did after moving. I too agree moving was probably the beginning of the end - a big mistake that appears to have backfired badly.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I admit, I am amazed they lasted as long as they did after moving. I too agree moving was probably the beginning of the end - a big mistake that appears to have backfired badly.

I'm happy to be corrected but they moved premises within London before moving to Poole. That first move happened when Martin Reed sold the company as far as I know.

 

[joe bosak]

Some years since they went to Poole though, it's not like they crashed into bankruptcy as soon as they arrived there...

In fact they seem to have moved around 2016:

Registered office address changed from 120 London Road London SE1 6LF to Unit 26 Cabot Lane Albany Business Park Poole Dorset BH17 7BX on 15 March 2016

And if any confirmation were needed:

Creditors voluntary liquidation - Commencement of winding up28 April 2023

 

[snusmumriken]

I'm happy to be corrected but they moved premises within London before moving to Poole. That first move happened when Martin Reed sold the company as far as I know.

Historical interest only, and probably only for Londoners, but I can remember them at another address before Valentine Place, only I can’t remember exactly where. Anyone else remember?

The move from Valentine Place was certainly mighty inconvenient for me, as my train came in to Waterloo Station!

 

[Flighter]

120 London Road?
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27573787/Silverprint

 

[snusmumriken]

120 London Road?
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27573787/Silverprint

No, that was site number 3, after the 2016 move that @joe bosak referred to above. London Road (site 3) was a bit further out of town than Valentine Road (site 2). As you see in those photos, it had a shop front and more goods on display, but it seemed like they held less stock.

I have a feeling that site 1 was in the City or just outside the Square Mile. I went there because Silverprint's prices were much cheaper than the photographic stores in the area, like Wallace Heaton.

I collected from Silverprint's later Poole address (site 4) on one occasion. There was no shop front there at all, just a narrow counter inside the door. I don't want to add to their sorrow, but it really didn't feel like the same business.

 

[Flighter]

The only other address I can find for them is 520 Walmar House, 296 Regent Street, per Companies House this was the address of their registered office before it changed to Valentine Place.

 

[MattKing]

Out of curiosity, in the UK is it necessary or common to list an actual business address as a registered office address?
Here, most registered office addresses are the office addresses of the corporation's solicitors.

 

[Flighter]

Matt, it's not a requirement but quite a few companies will have their head office as their registered office, others will use their accountants or lawyers address and some small ones with one shareholder/director may use a home address of the shareholder/director although the latter is pretty rare.

Basically, all that is required is an address in the same jurisdiction that the company is incorporated so companies incorporated in England and Wales can have an address anywhere in England or Wales bit can't have an address in Scotland and vice versa for companies incorporated in Scotland.

James

 

[MattKing]

Thanks James - not totally dissimilar from here, although not all such choices are likely to comply with the rules that mandate public access and times to certain records.

 

[Flighter]

In the UK it's possible to nominate another address, known as the Single Alternate Inspection Location where records are available for public inspection.

 

[joe bosak]

For the few I was aware of prior to this (smaller companies) the registered office generally had little apparent link to the business premises.

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

It seems that in 1978 Martin Reed was operating in Muswell Hill. Sorry to be vague; but so was my informant.

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

From the Companies House files: Silver Print's incorporation document (11 May 1984) gives their intended business address as

Unit 7
The Melbourne Centre
Bailey's lane
Fulham
SW 6

John Regan is named as company secretary: Martin Reed is not mentioned.

 

[Flighter]

John Regan was one of the company formation agents that incorporated the company, along with Stephen Walford. Once incorporated they would have transferred their shares to the people who were actually going to carry on the business. By April 1995, the earliest date that an Annual Return is available to view on the Companies House site, the shareholders were Martin Reed and Janice Reed, both of Muswell Hill. At that time the registered office was at 12B Valentine Place.

 

[Mike Crawford]

Historical interest only, and probably only for Londoners, but I can remember them at another address before Valentine Place, only I can’t remember exactly where. Anyone else remember?

I think Martin started Silverprint in Wapping in the Docklands in East London. This would have been late 80s or early 90s. Certainly remember going there and having a long chat with him. Later they were off to the bigger premises in Valentine Place in Waterloo.

Not sure how relevant it is in this thread digging up and referencing the previous company details when he owned the company, as the Silverprint which has recently gone out of business was a very different company to the one Martin and Janice founded and subsequently sold several years ago. Over the years, (decades!) Martin has done so much for analogue photography, not only in running Silverprint, but in publishing several books, (I contributed to the one on Liquid Emulsion), and the excellent and recommended Silverprint Manual. Also importing some amazing products like Seagull Oriental and really supporting the community, especially us photographic printers. And after Silverprint, that was followed by being the main importer to the UK of Foma products.

Along with Process Supplies, and the previous owners of Ilford, (and then Harman), there were several get togethers organised each year for printers, usually connected to working on joint exhibitions and calendars and promoting Ilford and the two shops. Sometimes it was for the launch of a new paper which we would then test and giving feedback to Ilford / Harman. Great evenings bringing the printers together, and I think we all might have over-indulged at times with their hospitality and open bar tab! Glad to say Process Supplies carried on this tradition. Wish Harman would!

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Wish Harman would!

Harman doesn't seem like the company it was a few years ago.

 

[Agulliver]

Harman has engaged with social media, where the young'uns are. Their instagram feed in particular is buzzing.

That's not to say that a physical gathering wouldn't be welcomed. Process Supplies are excellent folk.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Yup, seems that way. Sad loss. . There’s a thread about it over on FADU.

They priced themselves out of the market. It's fine to pay more for good service and a good selection, but they overdid it a bit!

 

[Ian Grant]

I think Martin started Silverprint in Wapping in the Docklands in East London. This would have been late 80s or early 90s. Certainly remember going there and having a long chat with him. Later they were off to the bigger premises in Valentine Place in Waterloo.
would!

I remember going into Silverprint and talking to Martin in the mid 1980s, I was looking for a different Fibre based paper, I'd tried Multigrade FB and Galerie. The premises were small and there were large piles of boxes of papers I'd not come across on the floor, Martin had just had some Pal papers delivered, but I came away with some Oriental Centre, a very nice warm-tone paper, that would have been late 1986 or early 1987.

Peter Goldfield closed Goldfinger in I think 1984, selling his pharmacy shop and moving to Somerset where he set up Duckspool. Peter had begun privately importing Agfa film, papers, and chemistry into the UK after Agfa pulled out of the B&W market in the UK. Martin was working for Peter when Agfa suddenly decided to re-enter the market effectively destroying Goldfinger's business. So Silverrprint took over from Goldfinger in new premises.

Ian