Jessops chief executive Trevor Moore to leave at end of July

Moore is credited with a raft of improvements at Jessops, which had been mired in crisis and his departure was a surprise to observers.

Executive chairman Martyn Everett will take over the day-to-day running of the business and said that there are no plans to replace Moore.

Everett said in an internal announcement to Jessops staff: “I will be building on the solid foundations established to date and working with our experienced management team to develop our business further.

“Trevor leaves on good terms and I would like to thank him for his leadership. Over the last three years the business has re-established itself as the leading speciality retailer and achieved a number of significant milestones.”

He highlighted the introduction of an improved store format, which has increased customer visit frequency and dwell time, and the growth of online sales from £8m in 2008 to £76m in 2011 as evidence that Jessops “has now become recognised as a truly multichannel retailer.”

Moore’s departure came a month after the retailer reported that strong cost control and margin improvement had powered an EBITDA increase of 29.8% to £5.7m for the year to January 1. Total sales rose 3% to £236.8m and like-for-likes increased 1.3%.

In May it was reported that Jessops was likely to win £10m investment from camera manufacturer Canon as the supplier aimed to protect an important route to market. It is unclear if the investment materialised.