Jessops shops close with loss of 1370 jobs
Failed high street camera chain Jessops has closed all of its stores, resulting in the loss of around 1,370 jobs.
Administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers confirmed that all 187 stores had been shut down and that more jobs would be lost at the retailer’s head office in Leicester.
Edward Williams, joint administrator and partner at PwC, said: “Since my appointment, we have reviewed the position of the business and held extensive discussions with suppliers around their support for ongoing trading.
“It is apparent that we cannot continue to trade and as a result we have had to make the difficult decision to begin the closure of all 187 Jessops stores at the close of business today.
“Regrettably, this will result in around 1370 job losses across the stores with further job losses likely, in due course, at the head office in Leicester.
“The stock will be collected over the coming days and returned to a central warehouse. It will be returned to suppliers if they are entitled to it. As a consequence of the closure, Jessops is no longer able to accept returned product from customers .
“This is an extremely sad day for Jessops and its employees. We are very grateful for the support we have received since our appointment and we will continue to ensure that employees are paid as they assist us during the closure.”
Founded by Frank Jessop in 1935, the camera chain has faced increasing competition from online retailers in recent years and has also suffered due to the growing use of smartphone cameras.
