B&H Photo Video, founded in 1973 by Blimie and Herman Schreiber, is the largest non-chain photo and video retailer in the United States. It remains Satmar Hasidic-owned, closes for Shabbat, and runs on a single Manhattan storefront.
B&H Photo Video is a privately held, Satmar Hasidic-owned electronics retailer founded in 1973 by Blimie and Herman Schreiber in Manhattan. Named for its founders' initials, the company now operates as the largest non-chain photo and video retailer in the United States, closing every week for Shabbat and on Jewish holidays.
Why is B&H Photo named that way?
B&H takes its name directly from founders Blimie and Herman Schreiber, who opened the business as a storefront film shop at 17 Warren Street in Tribeca in 1973. The initials, not an acronym for anything photographic, became one of the most recognized names in American retail electronics.
The letters B and H also carry independent religious meaning in Orthodox Jewish life: "BH" is a widely used abbreviation for "beezrat Hashem," Hebrew for "with God's help," commonly written at the top of documents and correspondence in observant communities. The overlap between the founders' initials and this common religious abbreviation is not documented as the origin of the company name, but it is a resonance often noted within the community the Schreibers belong to.
The store later relocated to 119 West 17th Street in Manhattan's Photo District before settling into its current site at 420 Ninth Avenue at West 34th Street in 1997, according to company history documented by Wikipedia. The company's own 50th anniversary celebration in 2023 leaned into its founding origin: B&H named its inaugural trade event "Bild Expo," using the Yiddish word for "image" as a direct callback to the founders' background.
Unlike most retail brand names, which are chosen for marketing appeal, B&H's name records a specific marriage and a specific storefront lease. That detail matters for search purposes: people looking up "what does B&H stand for" are asking a factual question with one verifiable answer, not a branding riddle.
Who owns B&H Photo today?
Ownership remains split between the Schreiber family and the Hedaya family, joined by marriage when Abraham "Abe" Hedaya married Herman Schreiber's daughter Annie in 1955. Herman's sons Sammy, Nat, and Joe Schreiber hold ownership stakes alongside grandsons, while Abe Hedaya's sons Joe, Charlie, and Louis Hedaya hold senior leadership roles, according to reporting cited by SunnyWeb.
Company representative Joe Hedaya described the arrangement to Crain's as a close-knit family structure: the two families spend holidays and vacations together in addition to running the business jointly. No outside private equity or public shareholders hold a stake. B&H has stayed privately held for its entire 53-year history, a rarity among electronics retailers of its scale.
The company does not disclose an org chart publicly, and LeadIQ's corporate database lists only initials for senior finance and technology leadership as of June 2026, reflecting the company's generally low public profile relative to its market position.
Why does B&H close on Saturdays?
B&H shuts its single retail location and suspends all online order processing from sundown Friday through Saturday evening in observance of Shabbat, a practice rooted in the founders' Satmar Hasidic identity. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that many of B&H's employees are also Satmar Hasidic Jews, and the store offers kosher candy at checkout.
The closure extends to major Jewish holidays and Christmas. Unlike most large retailers, B&H does not process Black Friday sales if the date falls on Shabbat, a policy that has held since the company's founding. Israeli discount chain Rami Levy follows a comparable value-first playbook, though it operates on the opposite end of the religious-observance spectrum as a chain that stays open on Shabbat.
The Shabbat closure is not merely symbolic. Because checkout and order processing halt entirely, B&H forgoes a full day and a half of e-commerce revenue every week, a standing cost few competitors accept. The website itself stays browsable during Shabbat, but no transaction can complete until havdalah.
How big is B&H Photo's business?
B&H operates from a single physical "SuperStore" location yet stocks more than 400,000 products across photography, video, professional audio, and computing equipment, according to Grokipedia's sourced company profile. The company employs thousands of workers, with hiring that draws heavily from Orthodox Jewish communities in the New York area.
Revenue estimates vary widely depending on the source and methodology. RocketReach places 2026 annual revenue at $220.8 million with 2,369 employees. LeadIQ's June 2026 data estimates a broader range between $1 billion and $10 billion with approximately 2,400 employees across six continents. Crunchbase has previously estimated revenue between $100 million and $500 million. The spread reflects B&H's status as a private company that does not release audited financials, leaving third-party data providers to model figures independently.
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 | Wikipedia |
| Flagship store size | 70,000 sq ft (sales floor, since 2007) | Wikipedia |
| Office space | 150,000 sq ft | Wikipedia |
| Fulfillment center (Florence, NJ) | 500,000+ sq ft, opened 2017 | Wikipedia |
| 2025 real estate acquisition | 333 West 34th Street, 287,000 sq ft, ~$150 million | Metro Manhattan real estate reporting |
| Employees (2026 estimate) | ~2,369–2,400 | RocketReach, LeadIQ |
| Revenue (2026 estimate, low) | $220.8 million | RocketReach |
| Revenue (2026 estimate, high) | $1 billion–$10 billion | LeadIQ |
B&H was an early adopter of e-commerce, launching its website in 1996 and building its own platform rather than relying on third-party technology, a decision the company has said gave it more control over the customer experience. More than half of B&H's total revenue now comes through its e-commerce channel rather than the single physical storefront, according to figures compiled by the Professional Leadership Institute.
The company's real estate footprint has expanded aggressively even as its store count has not. In 2025, B&H acquired the former Sam Ash Music space at 333 West 34th Street for roughly $150 million, adding 287,000 square feet to its Manhattan holdings at a reported cost of approximately $523 per square foot, well below typical pre-pandemic Midtown pricing.
Who are B&H Photo's main competitors?
B&H's closest direct competitor is Adorama, another New York-based photo and video retailer with its own flagship Manhattan store. Comparison sites tracking both retailers describe B&H as skewing toward professional photographers and serious enthusiasts with deep inventory in specialized gear, while Adorama pitches a broader mix of beginners, hobbyists, and professionals.
Beyond Adorama, B&H competes with Sweetwater in pro audio, Best Buy and Micro Center in general consumer electronics, and Amazon on price and shipping speed for commodity items, according to competitor tracking from CB Insights and Comparably. B&H differentiates on two fronts that are difficult for larger, more generalized retailers to match: a 30-day price protection guarantee broader than Adorama's policy, and sales staff with specialized product knowledge in professional-grade cinema, audio, and photography equipment.
Search-traffic analysis from Ahrefs shows bhphotovideo.com pulling an estimated 1.8 million monthly organic visits, with an estimated traffic value of $317,000, placing it among the highest-trafficked specialty electronics retail sites tracked for these keyword categories.
Has B&H faced legal scrutiny?
B&H has drawn multiple legal challenges over its four-decade history. A 2016 US Department of Labor lawsuit accused the company of discriminating against Hispanic warehouse employees, including forcing them to use separate bathroom facilities, according to reporting by the Times of Israel. B&H settled a related pay-scale case for $4.3 million in 2007.
In 2009, four female employees separately sued B&H over an alleged failure to promote women into sales positions, adding to a pattern of employment litigation distinct from the company's tax disputes. The Times of Israel also reported allegations that B&H underpaid New York State sales taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars, a claim the company has disputed.
None of these disputes have altered B&H's ownership structure or its Shabbat-closure policy, which has remained constant across the legal challenges spanning more than a decade.
Is B&H Photo still expanding?
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported in March 2025 that B&H was expanding its Midtown Manhattan footprint even as it maintains a single-store model unusual among retailers of its scale. The company continues to rely on its e-commerce platform for the bulk of national and international sales while keeping its physical presence concentrated in one flagship location.
The 2025 acquisition of the former Sam Ash space at 333 West 34th Street signals room for further logistics or showroom expansion directly adjacent to the existing SuperStore, rather than a move toward opening additional retail locations elsewhere. A separate strand of Haredi retail innovation appears in Israel, where the Haredi supermarket chain Osher Ad began selling Kia vehicles inside its stores, a similarly unconventional business model built around an observant customer base.
Frequently asked questions about B&H Photo
Is B&H Photo Jewish owned? Yes. B&H was founded by Blimie and Herman Schreiber, observant Satmar Hasidic Jews, and remains owned by the Schreiber and Hedaya families today.
Is B&H open on Saturdays? No. B&H closes its physical store and halts all online checkout from sundown Friday through Saturday evening for Shabbat, and remains closed on major Jewish holidays and Christmas.
What does B&H stand for? The initials of founders Blimie and Herman Schreiber, who opened the original Tribeca storefront in 1973. The letters B and H are also commonly used in Orthodox Jewish writing as shorthand for "beezrat Hashem," meaning "with God's help."
How many B&H Photo stores are there? One. B&H operates a single flagship "SuperStore" at 420 Ninth Avenue in Manhattan, supplemented entirely by its e-commerce platform rather than additional physical branches.
How much revenue does B&H Photo make? Estimates vary by source: RocketReach places 2026 revenue at $220.8 million, while LeadIQ estimates a broader range of $1 billion to $10 billion. B&H does not release audited public financials.
Who is B&H Photo's biggest competitor? Adorama, a fellow New York-based photo and video retailer, is B&H's closest direct competitor. Sweetwater, Best Buy, Micro Center, and Amazon compete in adjacent categories.