Blacks (Canada)

Blacks Photo Corporation[1]
Industry Retail
Founded 1948 in Toronto
Headquarters Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Key people
William Edward Black and Robert Black
Products Photo finishing
Parent Telus
Website www.blacks.ca

Blacks Photo Corporation,[1] commonly known as Blacks (formerly Black's), is a large Canadian retailer of photo-related products and photofinishing services owned by Telus. It is headquartered in Scarborough, Ontario and currently has approximately 60 stores, including three in Calgary, Alberta, one in Brandon, Manitoba, and the remainder throughout the province of Ontario. In some areas previously (or never) served by Blacks stores, pickup for online orders is available at Telus retail locations.[2]

History

Older-format store at the Promenade Mall in Thornhill, Ontario.

Black's Photo was founded in 1948 by brothers William Edward Black (1925-2010) and Robert (Bob) Black in Toronto.[3][4]

The family owned firm became a public company in 1969 and was listed on Toronto Stock Exchange[5][6] and later sold to Fuji Film in 1981.[7]

The company is a Canadian retailer.[5]

Black's acquired Astral Photo, formed in 1968 by Astral Media in Montreal. The Quebec based stores were ultimately renamed Blacks, but the last of the stores in Quebec were closed in 2013. Blacks currently does not have a presence in Quebec.

On October 29, 2007, Reichmann Hauer Capital Partners (RHCP) purchased the company. The company was then acquired from RHCP by Telus in 2009.

In 2014, the company rebranded as "Blacks", without a possessive apostrophe, following the lead of fellow Canadian companies such as Eatons and Tim Hortons. It also launched a new store concept based largely around prints and other creative solutions for digital photography.[8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Blacks. "Contact Us". Retrieved 2014-09-20.
  2. Blacks. "Find a Store". Retrieved 2014-09-20.
  3. "William Edward Black Obituary: View William Black's Obituary by Toronto Star". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
  4. "Thinkwrap Commerce: Black's Photography | Thinkwrap Commerce". Thinkwrap.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
  5. 5.0 5.1 http://www.zoominfo.com/#!search/profile/person?personId=295788746&targetid=profile
  6. "Black Photo Corporation Company Profile". ZoomInfo.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
  7. "Edward Black". ZoomInfo.com. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
  8. Laird, Kristin (2014-05-09). "REBRANDED BLACKS AIMS FOR RETAIL PHOTOGRAPHY’S FUTURE". Marketing. Retrieved 2014-09-20.

External links