It was just days ago that Nikon announced closing their factory in China. Today, a new announcement about shutting down comes from Nikon, this time in Brazil. The company has announce the closing of all e-commerce operations in Brazil. This means Brazil customers will no longer be able to buy any Nikon gear in their country, and the only option will be buying in the gray market.
The announcement was made on the first page of Nikon Brazil’s website. It reads that the company will end the sales of all cameras, lenses and accessories in Brazil. Still, their customer service and technical assistance will continue to operate normally. Here’s the full press release (Google-translated from Portuguese):
As I mentioned, this decision leaves the gray market as the only choice for Nikon users. However, one commenter on Nikon Rumors points out that “NOBODY” in Brazil buys gear from official source because the taxes are too high. A few people say that many people buy cameras in Paraguay and resell in Brazil. And many of them agree that this won’t affect the market in Brazil. Still, many people wonder – is this just a part of Nikon’s business strategy, or they’ve been doing poorly lately? Nikon Corporation is optimizing R & D, Sales and Manufacturing structures in a global scale restructuring. As part of this process, Nikon do Brasil Ltda., from December 31, 2017, will close the sale of cameras, lenses and photographic accessories for the Brazilian market, currently marketed exclusively through its e-commerce, the Nikon Store. The company’s other business segments, including customer service and technical assistance, will continue to operate normally in Brazil. Products under warranty, including those marketed by Nikon Brazil’s e-commerce through December 31, 2017, will continue to honor the warranty periods. For out-of-warranty products, where possible, technical assistance will be provided based on costs approved by the owners. São Paulo, November 06, 2017. Auster Nascimento President – Nikon do Brasil [via DPReview, Nikon Rumors]
