Dear friends of Leica,
Dear Leica family,
As we are friends all over
the world, we all are now living for a certain time – hopefully not too long!
-under conditions which most of our generation never have encountered! This is
challenging us as individuals and as members of our societies. We have to
follow strict rules to encounter the Corona crisis. We need to do this for
ourselves, our children, our parents, our fellow citizens and our fellow human
beings!
Looking ahead, it could
evoke a feeling in us that we are human beings all together and that we are
more or less in the same boat, feeling more responsible for each other.
Since the outbreak, we at
Leica Camera are continuously undertaking all necessary precautions that
operations can still work, that our employees, our customers are safe. We did
set up a global crisis management team in daily, ally contact with the Board of
Management to take very quick decisions. However, we will face interruptions in
our supply chain, and a lot of stores worldwide have temporarily closed their
personal operations.
In the time ahead, when a
lot of us have to live under the conditions of a reduced social life, home
office, partially out of work etc., also gives us an opportunity to rebalance
our lives, to rethink things and perhaps winding down a bit.
For all our Leica friends,
maybe we all should use these days to follow our passion, the art of
photography, perhaps to enhance our skills, to sort out the pictures which we
always wanted to sort out but did not have the time to, to prepare a new
project, to start perhaps macro-photography, digitise analogue pictures and so
on. My strong belief is – if we do something which we really love to do, we can
experience additional emotional strength – and maybe, when the crisis is over,
we can see new portfolios, new skills, and great pictures! In the meantime
let’s use social media to share what we are shooting!
I hope that all of you are
safe, try to stay safe. I look forward to hearing, after it is over, that all
of you are healthy, again unconditionally enjoying the art of photography, or,
as we say at Leica: DAS WESENTLICHE!
All the best for you and
your families,
Dr Andreas Kaufmann
Chairman of Supervisory
Board
Leica Camera AG
Other related news from
Leica Camera AG, Germany
Dear Friends,
in the face of everyday
developments and with the rapid spread of the Corona Virus all over the world,
we at Leitz will of course follow the urgent recommendations and instructions
of our government. We have taken company-wide precautions to protect our
employees, our customers and as far as we have influence, the general public.
The company building is
closed to the general public.
Our sales and marketing
team are encouraged to work from home for the upcoming weeks. They are at all
times in close contact with their colleagues at Headquarters in Wetzlar.
Furthermore, they are all available as usual by phone and email. Taking the
circumstances into account, everything will still be processed and clarified as
convenient and quickly as possible.
The customer care team
will schedule themselves, so there is a contact to handle your inquiries and
concerns at all times.There may however be a short delay due to the lower
number of employees.
Our production team will
work on rotating shifts, so as to ensure fewer employees are in our workshops
at the same time.
We understand that these
precautions will inevitably lead to operational delays. However, we are sure
that we can count on your understanding.
We thank you all for your
continued support and wish you and your loved ones all the best in these
unprecedented times.
The team at LEITZ
Our mailing address is:
Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
Am-Leitz-Park 2
Wetzlar 35578
Germany
... And from Leica Camera USA
TO OUR LEICA FAMILY,
Here at Leica, our
philosophy can be summarized in two words: Das Wesentliche - a focus on the
essentials. As we navigate through these challenging times which impact how we
see and interact with our world, we are reminded of the true meaning of our
ethos, a focus on what is truly essential - the health and well-being of our
community. As such, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close
our stores and galleries across the country to do our part to mitigate the
spread of COVID-19. As of March 20th, we will also temporarily close our
Customer Care Service Center, Online Store, and our Corporate Offices.
Our Leica Akademie
workshops, Leica Gallery openings and Leica Store events scheduled through May
5, 2020 are postponed. We are reassessing dates as needed based on the most
current information and will keep you informed of updates via our social media
channels and our website.
While we shift our
adventures to the landscape of our imagination, we at Leica remain at your
service to answer questions, exchange visual stories, and provide you with
inspiration to support your passion for photography.
Even from a distance, we
are connected:
Customer Care Specialists:
repair@leicacamerausa.com
Tech Advisors: technicalinfo@leicacamerausa.com
Online Store:
shop@leicacamerausa.com
Our Leica Blog is updated
weekly with stories designed to inspire your creativity
During a time where we
limiting our in-person interactions, we are also expanding the depth of our
imagination, creativity and our emotional connections. With this, I am reminded
of the words of Alfred Eisenstaedt, “It is more important to click with people
than to click the shutter.” Das Wesentliche.
We look forward to
welcoming you back into our stores, seeing you at our events, and engaging with
you at our workshops. Until then, be well.
With Kind Regards,
Roger Horn
President, Leica Camera
Inc.
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