Turnaround specialist in talks on Jessops
The firm which acquired HMV's debt earlier this week is rumoured to be in discussions about buying the Jessops brand.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, administrators for the Leicester camera chain, which collapsed earlier this month, has confirmed a number of parties are interested in acquiring the brand.
However, yesterday trade magazine Retail Week reported that turnaround specialist Hilco, which acquired HMV's £120 million debt for £40 million on Tuesday, was the front-runner of all the interested parties and claimed it was "hatching plans" to sell Jessops-branded cameras in HMV stores.
Jessops, which employed 150 staff at its head office in Braunstone Frith, Leicester, closed all its 187 stores on January 9, with the loss of about 1,500 jobs, after 78 years in business.
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It had stores in Gallowtree Gate Leicester and Cattle Market, Loughborough, and employed 27 people.
Less than a week later, HMV, which employs dozens of staff at its two stores in Leicester and Loughborough, went into administration, putting more than 4,000 UK jobs in jeopardy.
Both Jessops and HMV have blamed online competition and changing customer habits for their demise.
Rob Hunt, Jessops joint administrator and PwC partner, confirmed there were a number of people interested in the Jessops brand but said it would not disclose individual parties.
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