Located in Heralded Palm Beach Photographic Centre

November 18, 2009 – Leica Camera Inc. / USA is proud to announce the grand opening of their first dedicated “Shop-in-Shop” in The Pro Shop for Photographers of the newly minted Palm Beach Photographic Centre (PBPC) Friday, December 4th, 2009. This will be the first Leica Shop-in-Shop to introduce the new Leica Store design to the U.S. market following debuts in Berlin, London, Paris and Moscow. The event will feature commentary from Leica Camera U.S. President Roger Horn and PBPC President Fatima NeJame.

To celebrate the grand opening of the Leica Shop-in-Shop, the PBPC will host award-winning news anchor and Leica M photographer Ann Curry for the opening of her exhibition “Empathy” on December 4th and a lecture on December 5th. Ms. Curry’s news photographs will be showcased at the Gallery through February of 2010. Additionally, Leica Camera will host new product demonstrations for the public on Saturday, December 5th, showcasing the recently unveiled LEICA M9, LEICA X1 and LEICA S2 and offer workshops with the M9 and the S2 on the same day.

“With the Palm Beach Photographic Centre’s world renowned reputation in the photography industry, we did not hesitate to collaborate with them on our first newly conceptualized ‘Shop-in-Shop’ at the Centre’s Pro Shop,” says Leica Camera U.S. President Roger Horn. “Consumers and aficionados around the world visit the PBPC, and we are proud to partner with the Centre to create a unique retail experience in Southern Florida.”

The PBPC’s Pro Shop for Photographers will offer Leica’s full product portfolio, from point-and-shoot cameras to rangefinder and medium format systems and binoculars. Similar to Leica’s products, this setting will follow Leica’s recently reinvented retail display, which utilizes premium design and materials to offer an impressionable and interactive experience.

About Leica Camera
Leica represents a union of craftsmanship, technology and experience. It is at once an extension of art, knowledge and philosophy, providing a state-of-the-art optical experience in a precision, hand-made photographic instrument. Leica Camera has a simple mission: to provide users with an incomparable experience, an instrument that defines an unsurpassed heritage and sets a standard of excellence for the industry to meet.

Throughout the world, Leica enjoys recognition and customer loyalty, because of its achievements in the photography industry and its uncompromising pursuit of high-quality standards. Leica products are appreciated by discerning clientele; the hand-crafted designs are fabricated with unmatched mechanical and optical precision and yet they have an extraordinary aura that can evoke feelings and emotions. For more than 150 years, Leica has maintained a tradition of precision manufacturing and consistent innovation, which have steadily reinforced its preeminent worldwide reputation.

About Palm Beach Photographic Centre
Dedicated to the enrichment of life through education, exhibitions, community programs, workshops, and cultural activities that promote the art of photography and digital imaging, the Palm Beach Photographic Centre has been hailed by the highly respected Columbia Journalism Review as one of the world’s leading photo centers.

With a soft opening planned for mid November in a spacious 26,000 square foot home at City Center, the newly relocated Palm Beach Photographic Centre will have 4,000 square feet of exhibition space, 6,500 square feet of classrooms and studios, plus a 3,000 square-foot Photo Shop that’ll be stocked with state-of-the-art equipment, print gallery, an extensive library and digital printers to make oversize prints, plus the nation’s first Leica Camera Shop-in-Shop retail location.