The new Jessops photo company, bought out of administration by Dragon's Den entrepreneur Peter Jones, is preparing for a grand online reopening, a post on the company website has revealed.
Jessops.com now features a holding page informing camera enthusiasts that "the new Jessops website will be launching soon," and encourages visitors to sign-up for relaunch updates.
The announcement comes exactly a month after Jessops permanently pulled down the shutters on all 187 of its remaining stores in the UK, following its dramatic post-Christmas collapse into administration.
The 78-year-old brand had faced possible extinction until Jones bought the naming rights on January 31 with the intention of running the chain as an online-only business.
No news on physical stores... yet
Although the reopening of some of the more successful Jessops locations has been mooted in some quarters since the deal, the website post makes no mention of a return to brick and mortar stores.
The post does say that the retailer's existing customer database will transfer to a new company called Jessops Data Limited next month, which is based in Peter Jones' home of Marlow, Bucks.
It also provides a link to the recently relaunched Jessops Photo printing business, which Jones claimed was 'just the start'.
That database will now be transfered to Jessops supplier, German photobook retailer CeWe Color.
Unexpected competition
The BBC TV star also runs the Expansys mobile retailer and will be hoping to apply the Midas touch necessary to see Jessops return to its former glories in the face of brutal competition from Amazon and the supermarkets.
Ironically, he will face competition from one of Jessops' own former board members.
The old company's former chairman David Adams will perform the same role at British retailer Park Cameras.
