Sounds like Nikon needs some management changes.
They dipped below Canon and Sony in camera sales, because they were too slow to realise that they need to come out with a good mirrorless camera. Instead, they continued to peddle their D3200 type DSLRs that almost no one wants anymore. Like, seriously, who wants a cheap, entry-level crop sensor DSLR anymore, that for 85% of the situations takes WORSE pictures than any modern smart phone?
Plenty of companies support hunting and are proud of it. I don't think disassociating wiith hunting will have any impact on your sales of cameras and i don''t think that is the reason. Probably just refocusing their efforts elsewhere.
Vortex, Zeiss, Swarovski all cater to the hunting community and target them through ads etc and they are doing fine. Leica is in the riflescope and camera business and theyy do just fine as well.
I don't think this has anything to do with the appearance of being linked to firearm industry, they have been in financial trouble for a while now
They are a huge company with a lot of divisions and hunting optics has never been their core business, while they did make some good products, were they ever really leaders there? all they did was match the competition, it was a side project at best, in the grand scheme of things I'd doubt their hunting market strategy has ever been discussed at any board table, it's barely a drop in the bucket
they have been implenting a corporate restructing for several years now, management restructuring across the company has already happened, and now focusing on core business enhancements for medium term growth and new tech development for long term growth, they launched their healthcare unit a few years back and are increasing focus there
company in trouble, stop the bleeding, focus on what earns the money...and that's just not rifle scopes for them
Unfortunately, the rifles are getting lighter because we are getting heavier and more unfit as a society. This is the key to the mainstream acceptance of the short magnums. - Nathan Foster
They made some great scopes I still have a couple. But for whatever reason they just didn't find the love in the hunting world, always year end sales with deep discounts because not enough were selling I can only assume. While the Vortex', Leupolds, Burris et al who advertise heavily and focus on hunting and shooting succeed. Too big of a company with too man balls in the air I'd say. Someone had a look at the books and see they're not making squat on rifle scopes so pull the pin small part of their game really. Concentrate on cameras, binocs telescopes where they do make money.
its gonna take a life time to hunt and fish all this