SEVEN shop workers at Merry Hill have lost their jobs after troubled camera retailer Jessops closed its store at the shopping centre for good on Friday (January 11).
The national chain – which had a store on the upper mall at Merry Hill - went into administration last Wednesday (January 9).
Just two days later all of the company’s 187 UK stores cased trading – sending around 1,370 employees heading for the dole queue.
A statement released by administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said the retailer’s core market had seen a “significant decline” in 2012 and the run-up to Christmas.
Rob Hunt, joint administrator and partner at PwC, said after reviewing the business’s position and extensive discussions with suppliers it was obvious Jessops could not continue to trade.
He said: “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.”
He said further job losses were likely at the company’s head office in Leicester and added: “As a consequence of the closure, Jessops is no longer able to accept returned product from customers.”
Updates for consumers will be available through the Jessops and PwC websites at www.pwc.co.uk/jessops
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