THE Winchester company behind England’s largest chain of independent photographic shops is to be owned by its staff after 65 years as a family business. London Camera Exchange, headquartered in Winchester, planned to make the move to employee ownership in March 2020 but put the move on hold for a year because of the pandemic. An employee ownership trust has been set up, with trustees chosen from the staff to represent the 140-strong workforce. Outgoing owner Steve Hall – whose father Reg founded the business – said: “While the business is breaking direct links with the family of its founders, we are essentially moving to the ownership of the broader London Camera Exchange family.
THE Hampshire company behind England’s largest chain of independent photographic shops is to be owned by its staff after 65 years as a family business. London Camera Exchange, headquartered in Winchester, planned to make the move to employee ownership in March 2020 but put the move on hold for a year because of the pandemic. An employee ownership trust has been set up, with trustees chosen from the staff to represent the 140-strong workforce. Outgoing owner Steve Hall – whose father Reg founded the business – said: “While the business is breaking direct links with the family of its founders, we are essentially moving to the ownership of the broader London Camera Exchange family.