The reasons for Moore’s sudden departure are unclear.
He is leaving ‘on good terms’, said Martyn Everett, executive chairman of the chain which is the UK’s largest high-street photo retailer.
Everett, who took on the role of chairman from 1 March, said he has ‘no plans to appoint a replacement CEO’.
He added: ‘During his time at Jessops, Trevor (pictured below) has built a strong management team and I will be stepping in as executive chairman to support the management team and to lead the business forward.’
In February, Jessops former chairman David Adams stepped down.
Adams oversaw a turnaround at Jessops which restructured its business and appointed Moore as CEO in 2009.
In June, Jessops said it had made a £0.9m loss, after tax, for the
year ended 1 January 2012, according to accounts filed at Companies
House.
However, directors pointed out that the chain achieved a
1.3% growth in like-for-like sales against a general digital camera
market decline of 7%. Total turnover rose by 3% to £236.8m.
The
firm’s total earnings, before removing factors such as interest,
taxation, depreciation and non-recurring costs, rose to £5.6m, compared
to £3.9m the year before.
Earlier this year, Jessops was reported
to have struck a £10m deal with Canon, a claim that both firms
dismissed as speculation.
In April, it was reported
that HSBC – which owns the majority of Jessops shares – had approached
US-based financial restructuring adviser Zolfo Cooper to discuss the
future of Jessops.
Last month, Moore sought to dismiss this rumour in an interview with Amateur Photographer (AP) and other publications.
In a statement issued this morning, Everett said: ‘Over the past three years, the business has re-established itself as the leading speciality retailer and achieved a number of significant milestones.
‘We have successfully rolled out a new, industry leading, “live store” format. The new stores have widened Jessops market appeal, retaining existing customers and attracting more, younger, older and female customers to the store – extending dwell time and increasing visit frequency.
‘Our online sales have grown from £8m in 2008, to £76m in 2011 and Jessops has now become recognised as a truly multi-channel retailer. Online accounts for more than 35% of our business and 70% of all online sales are collected at a store.
‘This provides Jessops with an opportunity to build strong customer relationships and offer improved customer service by offering the appropriate accessories and photo services to compliment the camera purchase.’
Moore is a former operations director at Coffee Republic.
His business experience has also included jobs at the Thresher Group, Whitbread, Phones 4U and HSBC.
AP has requested comment on the reason for Moore’s resignation.
