£9.7m loss sparks JJB jobs fear
Published Date:
29 September 2008
Hundreds of Wigan JJB Sports workers were anxiously looking over their shoulders today after the company posted some of its worst-ever figures.
The Martland Mill-based retail chain axed its dividend for shareholders after slumping to a half-year loss.
It has already released 100 of its agency workers in recent weeks and the union says it expects more to go as the economy continues to deteriorate.
The company reported a deficit of £9.7m for the 26 weeks to July 27, compared with profits of £8.3m a year earlier.
And with the credit crunch getting much worse in the second half of the year, staff are getting increasingly concerned about their jobs.
One, who asked not to be named, said: "We thought the firm was going to have bad news but this is worse than we thought.
"Jobs are going all over the country in various industries and there are some pretty worried people round here, I can tell you."
JJB remains "very cautious" about the trading outlook, but chief executive Chris Ronnie insisted that management would stay "calm and focused" over the rest of this financial year.
JJB's half-year loss contrasts with the 71% jump in profits reported by rival JD Sports Fashion earlier this week.
Mr Ronnie said: "While we remain extremely cautious about the current economic climate, we are absolutely convinced that our business model is right.
"We will continue with our strategy to improve margins through the further development of our own brands, together with the ongoing actions we are taking to re-energise our retail stores.
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The full article contains 277 words and appears in Wigan Evening Post newspaper.
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Last Updated:
29 September 2008 12:00 PM
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Source:
Wigan Evening Post
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Location:
Wigan