Online electricals retailer AO World has completed its acquisition of Jessops, the UK’s best-known specialist camera chain, and plans to fold Camera Jungle into its musicMagpie recommerce business.
AO World has confirmed that it has completed the purchase of Jessops from Peter Jones CBE. The deal was disclosed in AO’s trading statement on 24 September 2026, which describes Jessops as “a leading specialist photography retailer”.
The acquisition was funded from AO’s existing cash resources, and the price has not been disclosed.
What AO has planned
AO says it wants to use Jessops to expand into adjacent product categories, drawing on the chain’s expertise in cameras and optical technology. It also plans to combine Jessops’ recommerce arm, Camera Jungle, with musicMagpie, the second-hand tech business it already owns.
The company says it expects Jessops to grow over the next 12 months as it applies AO’s scale, web traffic and operational expertise to drive efficiencies.
A new chapter for a 91-year-old name
As Digital Camera World points out, the move ends Peter Jones’ long stewardship of the brand. Jessops has been one of the UK’s constant photographic names for more than nine decades, surviving administration in 2013 before the Dragons’ Den investor stepped in to reopen stores.
For UK photographers, the key questions are what happens to the high-street stores, the in-store expertise and the trade-in service. AO is primarily an online retailer, so its logistics could help Jessops’ web business. Folding Camera Jungle into musicMagpie could also give second-hand camera gear a much bigger audience. On the other hand, specialist advice and hands-on counters are a big part of why photographers still walk into a Jessops, and we’d hope that isn’t lost as the business is streamlined.
We’ve contacted Jessops and AO for comment on the future of the store estate and will update this story if we hear back.
Key details
- Buyer: AO World plc
- Seller: Peter Jones CBE
- Status: Completed
- Funding: AO’s existing cash resources
- Price: Not disclosed
- Plans: Expand into adjacent categories; combine Camera Jungle with musicMagpie
What happens next
Jessops stores and the Jessops website continue to trade as normal. AO says it expects the business to grow over the next year. The full announcement is available via AO World’s regulatory news.
