London Camera Exchange

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 26 shops spread throughout England, from Plymouth in the South West to Newcastle in the North East. In 2021 the family owners decided that the time was right for them to retire from the business and structured a deal to see the Company move to employee ownership, by way of an Employee Ownership Trust. Now, when you visit one of the 26 branches you will in essence be dealing directly with an owner. Each store within the Group has retained an element of individuality and carries most popular camera brands and models plus a range of stock chosen by its local manager and staff rather than by remote and faceless buyers. As well as catering for most of the needs of a keen photographer, most of the shops devote a lot of space to other types of optical equipment such as binoculars and telescopes. All 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.