Sir David bows out from JJB Sports

RETAIL veteran Sir David Jones, hailed by many as the saviour of JJB Sports, severed his links with the company this week as he stepped down as a non-executive director due to ill-health.

Wigan-based JJB announced at its annual meeting that the former Next boss, who suffers from Parkinsons Disease, was retiring with immediate effect.

Sir David, 67, who joined JJB in 2007 as a non-executive director before becoming executive chairman as the company last year as financial and trading problems mounted, stood down as chairman in January this year.

Paying tribute to his achievements JJB’s board said: “Sir David played a crucial role as executive chairman during 2009 at a time when the company was close to administration, leading the company through a succession of transactions and initiatives to secure its survival and to create a platform for growth.

“The board places on record its enormous thanks to Sir David for everything he has achieved with the company.”

The company’s new chief executive, Keith Jones, who joined from Dixons Stores Group five months ago, will tell the company’s annual general meeting later today that the company later today that the company continues to progress and is “optimistic about long term prospects and growth”.

He said that like-for-like sales in the six weeks July 4, which included the World Cup, were up 22.3% on the the previous year, and that gross margins had increased by 54.5% . He said that sales in for the year to July 4 were up 12.1 per cent and had continued to progress in the following three weeks.

Moreover, like-forlike sales at a newly-refurbished trial store in Slough were up by a third since it reopend six weeks ago and its gross margins also outperformed company averages.

“We are confident of the strength of the store concept and will roll it out to at least four more stores this Autumn,” said Keith Jones.

He added that the firm had continued to improve sytstems and processes, including its stock management and control systems. It has also just appointed Paul Mitford as its new HR and Training Director.

“I believe we have met all our objectives so far this year, and we are firmly focussed on continuing to do so,” he said.