Jessops upbeat as sales defy the weather
Camera retailer Jessops today signalled further progress in its recovery plan as it reported a 3% rise in like-for-like sales over Christmas.
The chain, which secured its survival with a rescue deal in September 2009, said it maintained deliveries in the extreme weather by ensuring all stores were fully stocked and hiring local firms with smaller vans to reach customers.
It said the actions limited lost sales to between 1% and 1.5% in the six week period to January 9, while business also soared in the final week before Christmas and between St Stephen's Day and January 1.
Online sales leapt as snowed-in shoppers turned to the internet, accounting for up to 25% of all sales in the first four weeks of the festive season.
Jessops added that like-for-like sales throughout the final quarter of 2010 rose by 5.3%.
