Christmas sales surge puts Jessops in focus

Like-for-like sales after stripping out the recent closure of 81 stores, were ahead 0.3 per cent in the seven weeks to January 6, resulting in a fall of 4.7 per cent for the first 14 weeks of the new financial year. After the stock clearance program clearence group stocks at Sunday 6 January 2008 were £34.0m, which were almost

halved compared to last year at £62.0m on Sunday 7 January 2007.David Adams, Executive Chairman said 'We were prepared for a tough Christmas trading environment and managed the

business accordingly. Strong working capital management aligned with a robust sales performance has resulted in an improved stock profile. We have a clear position in the digital imaging market with a full range of products and

services. Much work remains to be done to return the business to sustainable profitability and this performance over the key Christmas period is an encouraging step.'