Jessops Closure Impact

Restructuring firm, Hilco UK, is in discussions with the administrators of Jesspos, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), about buying the brand.

PwC has already closed all of the Leicester-based chain's 187 shops with the loss of 1,370 jobs.

Reports are suggesting Hilco UK is considering opening Jessops concessions in HMV stores, which the group have bought this week.

Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce says it was surprised by how quickly the Jessops photo shops were closed down. Administrators for the company were called in last week, with all branches closing two days later.

Nearly 1,400 staff are losing their jobs, including those working at the company's head office in Leicester. John Willats reports.

Last week's closure of Leicester-based high street store Jessops, is a sign of the rising popularity of the internet, says Martin Traynor of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce

The camera chain went into administration last week and closed all 187 of its stores in the UK as well as 20 in the Midlands. But the Leicestershire chamber of commerce says the city has performed better than expected during the recession.

Workers of Jessops who seek advice should contact The Retail Trust.

A charity that helps people in the retail sector says a quarter of the calls to its helpline in the last week have come from former Jessops employees.

The Leicester-based camera company went into administration last Wednesday but on Friday the administrator closed the firm's 187 shops, including 20 in the Midlands.

The firm is based in Leicester and started in the city in 1935. Now the Retail Trust says it can provide help and support to 1,300 staff who lost their jobs.

A Jessops store in Birmingham has placed a sign in its window informing customers that the shop has now closed.

The national chain announced yesterday that the company had official gone into administration leading to the loss of 230 jobs in the Midlands.

The group, which has had its headquarters in Leicester since 1935, has suffered from online competition and the boom in camera phones in recent years.

Leicester-based Jessops is closing all 187 of its stores across the UK. Administrators made the announcement this afternoon.

More than 1300 jobs across the country will be lost - 230 of those right here in the Midlands. And more are likely to go at the group's head office in Leicester. Our Business Correspondent Mark Gough reports.

Administrators are to close all of the failed camera chain Jessops' stores, with the loss of 1,377 jobs across the UK and Ireland. The majority of the job losses will be in the Midlands and London. The regional breakdown is as follows:

• East: 175
• South East: 131
• South West: 174
• North East: 106
• North West: 113
• Ireland: 30
• Scotland: 96
• Wales: 32
• Midlands: 230
• London: 290

Customers and former employees of the failed camera chain Jessops have taken to Twitter to lament the closure of the retailer: