TELUS buys Black's for $28 M.

The company I work for for over five years has been acquired by TELUS mobility. The move was done by Telus as a means to gain further expansion of their mobile products, particularly in Ontario, prior to the arrival of new cellular telecom companies.

For those of you wondering, it means exactly what you are thinking; Telus phones will be sold in Black's (Astral) stores across the country. What does this mean for the image of photography stores? Nothing; nothing will change. In my opinion, Black's has always been the boutique photo store rather than specialty retailer.

Is this the right move?
Everyone these days, especially in these economic times, cannot and should try to survive on their own. Companies, especially in photography have been joining forces for years: Pentax with Samsung (now with HOYA), Sony and Minolta, Nikon and Sony, etc...

Is this a good move?
That we will just have to wait and see.

*Disclaimer
The above opinions are solely those of the writer and do no reflect those of TELUS, Black's or Astral.