Bad news for Brazilian Nikonians! Coming on the heels of Nikon’s decision to close a digital camera plant in China, the Japanese camera giant is now announcing it will end all sales operations in Brazil by the end of 2017.
This announcement by Auster Nascimento, President of Nikon do Brazil, means that no cameras, lenses, or gear will be officially sold in Brazil, leaving Nikon fans in Brazil out in the cold so to speak.
Nikon’s sales operations in Brazil consisted entirely of e-commerce operations so no brick-and-mortar stores will be affected by this move.
DP Review offered the following translation of the press release from Nikon Brazil about ceasing sales operations in Brazil: “As of December 31st, 2017, Nikon do Brasil Ltda. will end the sale of cameras, lenses and photographic accessories in the Brazilian market, currently marketed exclusively through its e-commerce arm, the Nikon Store. The company's other business segments, including customer service and technical assistance, will continue to operate normally.”
Nikon is currently the midst of a massive global restructuring and this announcement about sales in Brazil is taken by some analysts as a sign that the maker is pulling out of the market entirely.
We recently reported Nikon’s closure of the Wuxi City, China factory that manufactured low-end digital cameras and lenses, a market whose profitability has suffered in light of the rise of the smartphone camera.
Nikon’s restructuring is centered on high-margin, expensive cameras and lenses where most companies are finding profitability and are gearing most of their research and development budgets towards this area.
Products still under warranty and those purchased through the end of the year in the Nikon Brazil e-commerce store will be eligible for warranty services and repairs, though this is not expected to last for forever.
After this, Nikon fans in Brazil will only be allowed to use the gray market to purchase out-of-warranty equipment according to Nikon Rumors.
