After a disappointing start to its float, things are starting to pick up. Since the release of results in December, the shares have steadily increased from 147p to 161p.

The group has a strong and fast growing market share and should perform well.

Jessops plc
21 March 2005



21 March 2005





JESSOPS PLC

Trading Update


Having benefited from the positive momentum in the digital camera market during
the first three months of the current financial year and throughout the
Christmas trading period, Jessops has experienced difficult trading conditions
in February and March. The general slow-down in consumer spending has
particularly affected sales of digital cameras. Although in this period Jessops
has been successful in maintaining its share of the digital camera market, sales
have been considerably below management's expectations. Moreover, there has been
a secondary effect on margins as retailers have sought to drive up volumes
through price reductions.

As a consequence, the Board anticipates that store like-for-like sales growth in
the first half of the year ending 27 March 2005 will now be around +1%. The
similar slowdown in non like-for-like stores and other sales channels will
result in total sales growth of around +4.4% in the first half.

Like-for-like growth rates in the second half of the year are expected to
improve from this first half level as a result of new product launches and
increased penetration of digital SLRs. However, in this more challenging
trading environment, the Board believes it is prudent to revise its sales growth
and margin expectations for the second half. Therefore the outcome for the year
as a whole is likely to be significantly below its previous expectations and
below last year.

There will be an analysts' conference call at 8:15 am today, 21 March 2005.
Please contact Hogarth Partnership for details.

ENDS

Whats up with this,no film in the camera these days .

what a disaster! the thing is that is shop and develop films at JSP and have always been very impressed at the knowledge of the staff and the pleasant atmopsphere of no pressure selling.

i am shocked by the drop today and would probably place alot of the responsability on management...overextended network? underfunded? too ambitious?

anyway...the future now looks bleak

Staff are different now - doing a dixons - minimum wage - fewer skills

ok, just not ay my local one then. if that is the case then they have no chance...thx for that

Classic example of venture capital firm squeezing the last drop of 'efficiency' out of the system before floating - and only just got away with it by reducing the price at the last minute.

and shareholders are left holding the bag...

and Shares Magazine has egg on its face as this was one of their top tips for the year !

says it all...

The whole retail sector is under pressure not just Jessops ,people are being careful with their money.I found the staff in my local branch very helpful and well educated about products.
db66

Bloody hell 4 hours later and still no better for the sp!!

By now it should of pulled a few shorters in for a quick return.

Blimey, what has gone on here then other than a por February and March?

Glad I dont hold...............

And me sw,,,,and me.

Bloody digital,,,,,,,,,,,,,bring back 35mm.

best of al worlds. 35mm and a cd!

Its to easy that ??

you get the photos and a disk...great negatives and digital.

not a JSP holdert but it was on my grass roots watchlist...

Still some value in the sp i think.

Probably represents much better value at this price than before. It's a well known fact that most IPO's are there as exit strategies for the previous holders.

I think if you want to get back some of your losses you may want to look into other similar aligned businesses in the retail sector. They may also be forced to warn at some point.

It cant be long now before i grab a few,and tuck them away.

dave the squirrel..............

works though dont it?