Offers Convenience of One-Hour Pick-Up Option

Feb. 2005 - As part of an effort to offer consumers multiple avenues to print their digital images, Sony Electronics' ImageStation® online service is working with Ritz Camera Centers to provide faster fulfillment of digital print orders.

Consumers can now upload their digital images from their home/personal computers to ImageStation.com and opt for their images to be transferred to Ritz Camera's online site www.ritzpix.com for order configuration. There, consumers can place their print orders, pay online and pick up their photos at their local Ritz or Wolf Camera store in just a few hours. A store locator allows customers to easily locate their nearby Ritz or Wolf Camera store.

" Ritz Camera Centers is known for bringing creative offerings to consumers online and this relationship provides ImageStation customers with another easy-to-use benefit," said Bob Nell, vice president of network solutions for Sony Electronics eSolutions Company. "By working together we are providing customers with practical means to obtain prints more rapidly."  

Rich Tranchida, vice president of Ritz Camera Centers, Inc. said, "We at Ritz are very excited to partner with Sony to introduce their ImageStation members to a new and simple method of obtaining digital prints. By logging onto ImageStation.com, customers can upload their digital images and pick up their prints from a local Ritz Camera store in just one hour."

ImageStation customers who opt for the in-store service will continue to benefit from the storage, sharing and additional ImageStation membership features they currently enjoy. There is no additional service charge or delivery fee for in-store pick-up, regardless of the number of prints ordered. The in-store service is for print orders only and prices, determined by Ritz/Wolf Camera, may vary.

The service will be available in the spring.

Editor's Note:

About Ritz Camera Centers, Inc.

Ritz Camera Centers, headquartered in Beltsville, MD, is the largest retail camera and photo chain in the United States with over 1,100 store locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The Ritz Camera Centers chain of stores includes Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Kits Camera, Inkley's, and The Camera Shop. All stores have Big Print Central Departments offering both traditional and digital prints "in minutes." Ritz Camera Centers, Inc. also owns and operates Boater's World Marine Centers, a leading marine specialty retail chain with over 110 stores nationwide.

ImageStation (www.ImageStation.com) is Sony's online photo service that allows consumers to upload, store and share their digital images and video clips online. Members of the service can also order high-quality photo prints in a variety of sizes and unique photo gifts including coffee table books, mugs, puzzles, tote bags and calendars. ImageStation also provides a mobile access service (www.ImageStation.com/mobile-access) allowing customers to view and share their online photo albums directly from web-enabled mobile phones.