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Jessops has reached sales of over £56 million, with an operating profit of £280,000 in its first full financial year since reopening.
After collapsing during 2013 and closing all of its previous stores, Jessops was soon reborn with Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones CBE at the helm.
Now it has revealed that it will build on its current 28 stores, with plans to open six more. The new Jessops stores will be opened in Reading, Milton Keynes, Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, Hull and Kingston. Tunbridge Wells will be the first to open in October 2014, with the remaining opening in November.
This comes off the back of a deal signed with Sainsbury’s, which will see even more Jessops stores opening in the coming months.
Peter Jones, chairman of Jessops, said: “This is a great result and I’m excited that we’ve been able to restore an iconic British High Street brand.
“With the right formula and strategy, the High Street is full of potential for growth and job creation; our new stores will create over 100 new jobs before Christmas.”
The new stores will offer customers try-before-you-buy product displays, the Jessops Academy, which includes a wide range of photography training courses, and an on-site lab for photography products.
Check out PCR’s upcoming November issue photography special for more info on the sector
