Blacks camera stores across Canada closing Aug. 8

Blacks, the longtime Canadian camera shop and film developing chainwith the slogan "Blacks is photography,"will closeits storesacross Canada in August.

Telus,which acquired Blacks in 2009,confirmed in a statement that all of the company's 59 outlets mostin Ontariowill be shut by Aug. 8.

Some 485 employees are affected by the closure, Telus said, noting it will try to find new jobs for those employees with Telus or its mobile service, Koodo.

• ANALYSIS |Middle class retailers dying a slow death: Don Pittis

"Technological innovations have changed the way Canadians take and share photographs, with fewer of us using retail photo outlets,"Telus said in a statement.

The statement said Blacks had made "positive momentum and financial improvements"during the last year, but the company isn't growing.

Telus said it would take "considerable investment"to turnBlacks into a profitable chain.

Blacks' online presence and app will cease on Aug. 8, Telussaid.

Cellphones killed the camera store

Ken Wong, an associate professor of business at Queen's School of Business, said the "obvious change" in the way Canadians take and share pictures caused Blacks'demise.

And if there's a murder weapon in the photography chain's death, it's the cellphone.

"The use of the cellphone as a camera has had a huge effect on the industry,"Wong said, noting other large chains like Henry's have also struggled.

Wong said Blacks catered to more casual photographers than its rivals andstruggled to differentiate itself and create reasons for people to come to the store rather than go online the same issue that recently forced Sony stores to close.

"Everywhere we look, traditional retail is having some difficulty," Wong said.

Blacks founded in 1930s

Blackswas founded in the1930sand is headquartered inScarborough,in suburban Toronto.

One Blacks employee in Toronto said workersfound out on Monday via teleconference. Anotherworker said the news came out of the blue.

However, the company had started closing stores in Nova Scotia and Quebec last year. Telustold CBC News it tried to find a buyer for Blacks, but nobody came forward.

Telussaid at the time itacquired Blacks in part to distribute its phones and other wireless products that it was"an impressive Canadian retailer with a great brand."

Anyone with print cards is being encouraged to use them before the stores close.