B&H Photo & Electronics Corp.
TypePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1973 (1973)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
FoundersBlimie Schreiber
Herman Schreiber
HeadquartersManhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
40°45′11″N 73°59′47″W / 40.753124°N 73.996281°W / 40.753124; -73.996281
Number of locations
1
ProductsCameras, video, film, audio, computers, electronics
WebsiteOfficial website

B&H Photo Video (also known as B&H Photo and B&H and B&H Foto & Electronics Corporation) is an American photo and video equipment retailer founded in 1973, based in Manhattan, New York City.[1] B&H conducts business primarily through online e-commerce consumer sales and business to business sales, as they only have one retail location.

Ownership and clientele

David Brommer, manager of B&H Internal Events
The exterior of the store on West 34th Street

B&H Photo Video targets professional photographers and videographers. It operates a warehouse located in Florence, New Jersey.[1]

The owner of the company, Herman Schreiber, and many of the store's employees are observant Satmar Hasidic Jews. The company’s only brick-and-mortar store located in Manhattan is closed on Shabbat, most Jewish holidays, and Christmas. Although the B&H website is accessible on Shabbat, checkout and processing of online orders are unavailable during that time (from sundown Friday evening till Saturday evening) along with Jewish holidays according to local (New York) time.[2][3]

History

B&H opened in 1973 as a storefront film shop at 17 Warren Street in Tribeca, and took its name from the initials of owners Blimie Schreiber and her husband, Herman. Later in the 1970s, B&H moved to 119 West 17th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in the Photo District and began to expand its stock to a wider range of film and photography products. In 1997, the store moved to its present location.

B&H is located just south of Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, at 420 Ninth Avenue at the intersection with West 34th Street. In 2007, B&H opened a second floor above its original sales floor making a total of 70,000 sq ft (6,500 m2) of sales space.

Also in 2007, B&H moved its offices to 440 9th Avenue in Manhattan. As the company has grown, it expanded its office presence to accommodate sales, customer service, buying, marketing, and various back office functions; these functions are housed in 150,000 square feet of office space.[4]

The store has an extensive conveyor belt system that runs along the ceiling.[5][6]

In 2015, B&H added an Apple authorized shop to the computer department with an assortment of Apple products. There is an Apple employee in shop to assist and consult.[7] In 2016, Vaio announced that they signed a contract with B&H photo video to offer their products.[8][9]

Bild Expo 2023

In 2023, B&H Photo Video celebrated its 50th anniversary with a notable event, the Bild Expo, held on September 6-7 at the Javits Center in New York City. This inaugural event, named after the Yiddish word for 'image', marked a significant milestone in B&H's history and showcased their commitment to the creative community.[10]

The Bild Expo brought together over 60 world-class speakers, offering presentations, workshops, and portfolio reviews across various fields of photography, video, and audio creativity. The event featured a diverse lineup of speakers, including renowned personalities such as Casey Neistat, Art Wolfe, and Ami Vitale, among others.[11]

In addition to educational experiences, the expo included a 100,000+ square-foot Gear Expo with more than 130 creative technology brands. The event also celebrated the 100th anniversary of 16mm filmmaking with a special Kodak 16mm Film Workshop.[12]

Philanthropy

B&H and its employees have been active supporters of organizations dedicated to bringing photography and videography to broader audiences. In 2018, B&H sponsored Bushwick Stories, a documentary workshop for young storytellers created by the Bushwick Film Festival.[13][14] For many years, B&H has sponsored NYC Salt, a program that offers intensive photography training to NYC high school students.[15] B&H also sponsors programs and fellowships at BRIC, the largest presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn.[16] B&H has worked with partners including Intel to donate tech equipment to NYC public school classrooms.[17]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, B&H organized "Days of Appreciation" for health care workers at Lenox Hill Hospital and other NYC hospitals.[18]

Controversies

Discrimination

In October 2007, it was reported that B&H Photo agreed to a US$4.3 million settlement in response to claims of discrimination against Hispanic workers, without admitting any wrongdoing.[19]

In November 2009, B&H Photo faced a lawsuit claiming the store did not hire women, potentially violating New York City and New York State Human Rights Laws.[20] Initiated by four women, the lawsuit aimed for class action status to represent all women who might have been impacted by B&H's hiring practices over several years.[21] This lawsuit, referencing previous claims of discriminatory practices at B&H,[19] sought US$19 million in compensatory and punitive damages to discourage similar future practices.[22]

In 2011, B&H was involved in a lawsuit concerning claims of discrimination against Hispanic workers.[23][24]

In February 2016, the United States Department of Labor Office of Contract Compliance filed a lawsuit against B&H, citing concerns that the company exclusively hired Hispanic men for entry-level positions in a Brooklyn warehouse and allegedly subjected them to harassment and poor working conditions.[25] On August 16, 2017, B&H announced a settlement of this matter for $3.22 million, while maintaining they did nothing wrong.[26]

Tax evasion

In November 2019, The Verge reported that the Attorney General of New York State filed a lawsuit claiming B&H knowingly avoided paying millions in sales taxes in New York.[27] B&H's spokesperson defended the company, stating, "B&H has done nothing wrong and it is outrageous".[27] B&H argued that the Attorney General's claim was based on the expectation that customers should pay sales tax on pre-discounted prices, rather than the actual selling price, a common practice in the industry.[28]

In September 2021, the NY Supreme Court ruled in favor of B&H, dismissing the Attorney General’s suit and aligning with B&H’s stance on the issue.[29]

Recognition

In 2015, B&H's Google Play app was named the "Best Mobile Shopping App" at the Mobile Shop Conference.[30]

In 2016, Consumer Reports awarded B&H Photo its No. 1 Top Rating for Best Electronics Retailer.[31] In 2018 it named it the leading online consumer electronics retailer.[32]

In May 2018, B&H was named by Forbes Magazine as one of America's Best Midsize Employers for 2018. The Forbes recognition was based on independent employee surveys conducted by Forbes.[33]

Also in 2018, B&H's consumer website was recognized as the Best for User Experience of any e-commerce company by the Baymard Institute.[34]

Newsweek named B&H as one of America's Top Companies for Customer Service in 2019, with top position in the consumer electronics category based on over 130,000 customer evaluations.[35] Newsweek again recognized B&H for excellence in Customer Service for 2020.[36]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Goldman, Adam (December 12, 2005). "New York camera shop combines 18th-century Jewish traditions and the hottest digital technology". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on May 16, 2006.
  2. ↑ "B&H Photo Video". Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2010. Please note that B&H does not process Web orders from Friday evening to Saturday evening.
  3. ↑ "B&H order processing schedule". Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Japanese group pays $210M for 9th Ave. property". Crain's New York Business. December 12, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Inside B&H conveyor system…". Swiss Miss. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  6. ↑ Lâm, Par (June 6, 2011). "BH Photo: Visite de la Mecque des boutiques photo" (in French). Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  7. ↑ "B&H Photo's Manhattan superstore opens prestigious Apple-authorized mini-store". AppleInsider. March 18, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Vaio Expands Distribution With Ingram Micro On Board". Twice. April 13, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ "CORRECTING and REPLACING VAIO Expands Distribution Channels to B&H Photo Video, DataVision and Ingram Micro". BusinessWire. April 13, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  10. ↑ "B&H Photo presents: Bild Expo". www.bildexpo.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Celebrate 50 Years as the Professional's Source at B&H's Bild Expo, September 6-7".
  12. ↑ DIRAdmin (August 23, 2023). "B&H Presents Bild Expo 2023: Celebrating Photo, Video & Audio Creativity". Digital Imaging Reporter. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ "B&H Photo, Canon & Bushwick Film Festival Present Bushwick Stories". The Bushwick Film Festival. July 31, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ "A celebration of film diversity this weekend in Bushwick". am New York. October 11, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ "NYC SALT | PARTNERS". www.nycsalt.org. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ admini, BRIC (March 9, 2016). "About BRIC". BRIC. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Chelsea Public School Receives $25K In Donated Laptops". Chelsea, NY Patch. November 18, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  18. ↑ "B&H Electronics Sponsors Day of Appreciation for the Medical Staff of Lenox Hill Hospital". New York County Politics. June 15, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "EEOC and B & H Reach $4.3 Million Settlement in National Origin Discrimination Case". Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. October 16, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  20. ↑ "Gadget Retailer Faces Discrimination Suit". NY1. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on November 22, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  21. ↑ "B&H Photo Sued For Talmudic Discrimination Against Women". The Village Voice. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  22. ↑ Eligon, John (November 18, 2009). "It Was Some Day in Court For Ampersand". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
  23. ↑ Del Signore, John (December 14, 2011). "B&H Photo Sued Again For Discriminating Against Employees". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  24. ↑ Ross, Barbara (December 14, 2011). "B and H Photo discriminated against us, say 2 Hispanic employees in lawsuit". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  25. ↑ McGeehan, Patrick (February 26, 2016). "B&H Electronics Store Sued for Discrimination of Hispanic Workers". The New York Times.
  26. ↑ "B&H to Pay $3.22M to Settle Lawsuit Filed by the Dept. of Labor". petapixel.com. August 16, 2017.
  27. 1 2 Lecher, Colin (November 14, 2019). "B&H dodged millions in taxes, New York attorney general alleges". The Verge. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  28. ↑ Eustachewich, Lia (November 14, 2019). "B&H failed to pay millions in sales tax: attorney general". New York Post. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  29. ↑ Marks, Jeffrey. "B&H Photo Prevails in NY Sales Tax Dispute (via Passle)". Passle. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  30. ↑ "B&H Photo Video Wins Best App of the Year at Mobile Shopping Conference". Yahoo. October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Best electronics retailers". Clark Howard. November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Top Electronics store Reviews | Best Electronics store – Consumer Reports". www.consumerreports.org. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  33. ↑ "B&H Photo Video on the Forbes America's Best Midsize Employers List". Forbes. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Top 60 E-Commerce Sites Ranked by UX Performance – Baymard Institute". baymard.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  35. ↑ "B&H Named Top Company for Customer Service by Newsweek". Fstoppers. November 22, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  36. ↑ "America's Best Customer Service 2020". Newsweek.com. January 2020.
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