London Camera Exchange, Ltd

London Camera Exchange can trace its origins back to the 1950's when the founders acquired premises in Guildford's Tunsgate from which they operated a photography studio. The owners of Tunsgate Studios soon noticed that their customers were very interested in the equipment used in the studio and even went so far as to sell some of their old equipment. When customers started to offer other cameras in part exchange for newer or more expensive models the business, as it exists today was born. To this day the Guildford branch still occupies the same premises as the original Tunsgate Studios but the business has grown to include a total of 29 shops spread throughout England, from Plymouth in the South West to Manchester in the North West. The London Camera Exchange Group remains one of the largest family owned chains of specialist photographic shops in England today. Each store within the Group has retained an element of individuality and carries a range of stock chosen by its local manager and staff rather than by a remote and faceless buyer. As well as catering for most of the needs of a keen photographer, a number of the shops devote a lot of space to other types of optical equipment such as binoculars and telescopes. All of the shops continue to offer part exchange facilities, enabling those with a growing interest to trade up to the latest offerings and the range of used equipment on offer caters for those who prefer the models of yesteryear.