Sony Exiting Brazil: All Camera Sales and Manufacturing to End in 2021

septiembre 17, 2020

Sony Exiting Brazil: All Camera Sales and Manufacturing to End in 2021

Sony has announced that it is planning to cease all manufacturing and sales of cameras (and other electronics) in Brazil by mid-2021. The change applies to all of the company’s consumer electronics divisions, although technical support will reportedly continue.

The official announcement, which was sent to retailers on Monday, contains two dismaying pieces of news. First, the company will be shutting down its electronics factory in Manaus by March of 2021, putting approximately 220 people out of work; and second, sales of consumer electronics such as TVs, audio and cameras, all of which are produced domestically at this factory, will be shut down in the middle of the same year.

“The Sony Group has decided to close its factory in Manaus at the end of March 2021 and interrupt, in mid-2021, sales of consumer products by Sony Brasil Ltda—such as TV, audio and cameras—considering the recent market environment and the expected business trends,” reads the translated statement. “The decision aims to strengthen the structure and sustainability of our businesses, in order to respond to rapid changes in the external environment.”

If you happen to read Portuguese, you can see the full statement below:

And here is the full Google translated version, which we’ve edited slightly for clarity:

Dear,

We inform that the Sony Group decided to close its factory in Manaus at the end of March 2021 and interrupt, in mid-2021, sales of consumer products by Sony Brasil Ltda.—such as TV, audio and cameras—considering the recent environment and the expected business trends. The decision aims to strengthen the structure and sustainability of its businesses, in order to respond to rapid changes in the external environment.

We also inform you that Sony Brasil will continue to maintain its local operation to offer all consumer support for products under its commercial responsibility in accordance with applicable laws and its product warranty policy.

It is important to clarify that the other Sony group businesses in Brazil (Games, Professional Solutions, Music and Pictures Entertainment) will continue to maintain their strong presence in the local market.

With 48 years of history in Brazil and in this trajectory, we are grateful for the relationship of trust built over the whole time with our strong partnership.

We are available to schedule a meeting so that we can share and detail the next steps of this trajectory.

Confident of being able to count on your understanding, we thank you in advance for your always prompt attention and collaboration with Sony Brazil.

Kind regards,
Senior Operations Manager

The news comes as a shock to Sony photographers in Brazil, especially those who already went through this once in 2018 when Nikon left the country in much the same sudden and unexpected manner.

“Personally, I receive this notice like a stab on my back. I invested a lot of money in Sony cameras and lenses, a lot of people too. Sony is already the standard for many professionals, like event, marriages, and advertising small producers,” a disappointed reader tells PetaPixel. “No matter if you buy the camera at B&H, you always keep buying lenses and accessories for Sony Store Brasil. And it’s important to know that we have an assistance in the country.”

“With Nikon already gone a few years, I made the move to Sony,” he continues. “Looks like a bad choice. Now, I will have to sell and buy everything new from Canon.”

Fortunately, as the statement explains, Sony Brazil plans to continue offering all necessary product and warranty support. This leaves room for hope that Sony photographers in the country won’t be left (completely) high and dry.

(via Gizmodo)