THE JESSOPS store in Southampton's Commercial Road is to close as part of a nationwide cull of a quarter of the high street photo giant's shops.
Around 550 jobs will be axed as 81 UK stores close in a bid to save £15m a year and end the chain's financial woes, which have seen it post a £25m loss for the six months to March.
Around six jobs will be lost in Southampton, which is a victim of bosses' new policy of closing overlapping stores. A second city branch in East Street will remain unaffected as does another in Hedge End.
Chris Langley, chief executive, said Jessops would focus on a new "bricks and clicks" strategy, where customers could order over the Internet and pick up their purchase in store. The store has suffered from the decline in the retail price of digital cameras, and said it planned to focus on the market and in photo printers, where margins are higher.
A second Hampshire branch of the chain in Basingstoke is also to close.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article