Jessops turnaround plans help retailer present a rosier picture
JESSOPS, the embattled camera specialist, said efforts to revamp its stores and improve its online presence had helped boost sales by three per cent to £236.8m last year.
The retailer, which came close to collapse three years ago, reported that sales rose by three per cent to £236.8m in the year to 1 January, with like for like sales growth of 1.3 per cent.
It did not disclose its profits.
Chief executive Trevor Moore said 2011 had been a “challenging” year, exacerbated by the tsunami in Japan which impacted supplies.
He said the group remained “cautiously optimistic” in its outlook for 2012.
Since its rescue by its main lender HSBC in 2009 Jessops has made efforts to spruce up its stores and bolster its online presence as part of efforts to turn the business around.
Some 20 stores were refitted during the year with a new black store frontage, helping to deliver an uplift of over 20 per cent on pre-refurbishment sales.
Its online business grew by 79 per cent in the year, down from 100 per cent in 2010, and now accounts for 32 per cent of total business.