A Japanese earthquake in April has created supply shortages for Belgian camera stores, because one of Sony‘s sensor factories was badly damaged leading to a shortage of essential camera parts.
Parts for several brands
Sony’s factory also creates parts for other camera makers like Nikon and Panasonic, which means many others are also hit by the fallout from the earthquake. Particularly the compact cameras are currently facing shortages. “That is very annoying, because many of our customers are waiting for new devices that have long since been announced“, Antwerp-based camera shop Grobet told De Tijd.
Grobet is still waiting for shipments that were due to arrive before the summer, with other stores facing similar issues. Camera stores therefore now face two major problems: the supply shortages and the dwindling turnover. Many hope the shortages will be resolved in the upcoming weeks, because a weak holiday season could be disastrous for the industry.
