Fujifilm’s million-dollar push in the New Zealand market
Friday, 8 May 2026
Camera maker and photography brand Fujifilm has spent more than $1 million refurbishing its head office and transforming a 1100sqm space to bring its global House of Photography experiential retail concept to New Zealand.
The company, which has an annual turnover of about $50 million in this country - a drop in the ocean for the US$26 billion Japanese company - has seen business surge in the market in recent years.
While the retail environment remains challenging, Fujifilm has seen its business grow 75% in New Zealand over the past two years, on the back of surging demand and sales of its Instax film cameras.
The company is struggling to keep up with demand for film in this market.
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On Thursday, Fujifilm opened its House of Photography concept - a first for the market - in Rosedale on Auckland’s North Shore, in a traditional Japanese opening event, which was attended by local executives, the ambassador of Japan to New Zealand Makoto Osawa and Fujifilm vice president Masato Yamamoto, who flew in from the company’s headquarters in Japan.
The largest in the Southern Hemisphere and the company’s 10th globally, the House of Photography concept is what it calls “destination retail”, merging photography services such as printing, photo developing and camera retailing, with social spaces, and a professional studio with lighting, backdrop and gear to hire, workshop areas for classes and creative sessions, an exhibition gallery and an interactive Instax zone.
The company has House of Photography locations in most major cities including London, Sydney, Barcelona and Singapore. Its Auckland location is its second largest globally.
Fujifilm New Zealand director Stephen Hodson told The Post the opening of the Auckland House of Photography location marked the start of a new era for the company in New Zealand - and was the start of Fujifilm’s evolution beyond traditional film into a broader creative offering, as it strived to “connect more (directly)” to the end consumer.
“The whole idea was because photography is fun, then why don't we make it fun, and people can come here and take a photo and all the other photography-related things,” said Hodson, who has been with the company for 19 years.
The idea for House of Photography was first floated in 2017, but the idea was for years put on the backburner as the Covid pandemic took hold.
Hodson said the Auckland opening had been two years in the making.
Asked why the company had then decided to set up its New Zealand offering in an industrial centre in suburban North Shore, about a 20 minute drive away from Auckland CBD where it would have much higher footfall, Hodson said because in this economic environment with retail spending down, it made financial sense.
There was less focus on traditional retail footfall through as that typically drove smaller sales, and more focus on the location becoming a destination people travelled to.
“Everyone that's coming to House of Photography is coming for a reason. Foot traffic creates a few film sales as people are walking past … because if you're not going there to buy a Fujifilm camera, then why are you going; this is a creative hub for creators and our retail partners,” said Hodson.
“Wouldn't it be great if a bus load of 20 kids got dropped off here and they can create something on the kiosks, and then they can watch it being made. They go home with a T shirt or a calendar or a mug, and the other generation it may appeal to is mums, that come here for peace and quiet and a cup of coffee while they print photos.”
Hodson said he could imagine the same appeal for elderly folk that may attend for a similar outing or experience. “House of Photography is great because we're not just trying to take your money.
“We can take the picture and can make the picture [but there’s more to offer].”
The space would not doubt be used by its retail partners to upskill their staff on Fujifil products and professional photographers, he said.
Hodson said it was quiet times for retail currently as consumers grappled with the high cost of living, but there was “a sweet spot for the instant camera”.
Fujifilm sold in excess of 30,000 Instax cameras at Christmas time, and they continued to be hot in demand for Kiwis between the ages of 9-19, he said.
“And then on the other side you’ve got the cameras … and recently in the last two to three years, the film simulation [has taken off]. [Fujifilm] has made a digital camera with a film simulation button that makes the photo look like it's been done in nine different flavours of film.
“Now, our biggest problem is supplying enough film for the cameras we've sold.”
Fujifilm began operating in New Zealand 22 years ago, and has had its local head office located above the Auckland House of Photography site since 1994.
It began in the market as a distribution brand under the Hanimex Group, which Fujifilm later bought in 2004 and established as a local subsidiary. It has 270 subsidiaries worldwide.