Information

It might be hard to believe that one of the Western Cape’s leading photographic retailers did not start out solely dedicated to the selling and servicing of photographic equipment, but as a pharmacy in 1958. As a young and innovative pharmacist, Gerald Shap opened his pharmacy in Cape Town’s bustling central business district in the previous quarters of a popular photographic dealer at the time. Unbeknown to Gerald then, taking up this space on the corner of Long and Shortmarket streets would give rise to the birth and growth of the popular store that is Shap’s Cameraland today. More than 52 years later, Shap’s Cameraland is still in these same premises, and we are proud to have helped thousands of customers from all over the Western Cape, to make many memories, proving that Shap’s Cameraland truly does have a winning formula.   From the time Shap’s Cameraland opened its doors, it started building a valued customer base that has seen many generations purchasing their equipment from the store. The team at Shap’s Cameraland attributes the company’s success in the industry to a variety of reasons, such as valued and personal service, quality products and offering the best price and professional advice. Click on a link for more interesting Information: Our Timeline, Our Team Back to top

Life Through A Lens …

1958 - Gerald Shap opens Shap's Pharmacy

1960 - Shap's Pharmacy becomes Shap's Cameraland

1964 - The store expands

 1969 - Richard Williams joins the proud Cameraland family. Richard is still
part of our Team and is our longest serving employee.

1975 - We've sold 1000 cameras!

1982 - Shap's Cameraland became the first store in Cape Town to offer a
one-hour developing and printing service. (Today, Shap's Cameraland offers
the finest printing the world has to offer, running the latest and most
advanced

Kodak and Fuji Frontier digital lab)

1985 - Shap's Cameraland launches its repair & service centre

2000 - Developed 10-storey parking facility for the customer convenience

2002 - Launch of the digital camera in South Africa - and Shap's sells a
whole range

2005 - Shap's Cameraland launches its website enabling people from all over
South Africa to enjoy our product range and expertise

2008 - Happy 50th birthday to us!

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A Snapshot Of Our Family ( Our Team)

Most of us have been working at Shap’s Cameraland since we first opened our doors over fifty years ago! Our many combined years of expertise in sales, repairs and service in the industry along with our passion for personal and professional service is testament to the company’s ongoing success and fine reputation, enabling us to remain at the forefront of the photographic industry in the Western Cape. Combined, our team has over 100 years of service experience!

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