Profits and sales hit at Jessops

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The UK's leading camera and photographic goods retailer, Jessops, has posted an 18% fall in underlying profits for the six months to March.

It also said like-for-like store sales fell 2.4% in the six weeks to 8 May.

The company, which was one of the first to spot the potential of digital camera sales, said it had seen a drop in custom during February and early March.

It added it had been experiencing a "lower level of like-for-like growth in sales than previously anticipated".

The announcement comes as the British Retail Consortium said UK High Street sales fell to their lowest level in a decade during April.

Jessops unveiled pre-tax profits before interest, tax and amortisation of £5.7m ($10.7 million) for the 26 weeks to March 27, adding that sales had risen by 4.2% during the period to £161m.

Jessops has more than 270 stores in the UK and made its London stock market debut in October 2004.

It is facing growing competition for digital camera sales from online retailers.