Profile: Trevor Moore

Trevor Moore, chief executive of camera specialist Jessops, got his first taste of retail in its broad sense as a bank manager at HSBC.

As he sat in meetings with shop-owning customers, Moore was instantly drawn to the industry. “I liked what it stood for,” he says. “The pace and race of it really excited me, as well as bringing innovation to the market.”

Moore soon made the jump to a more consumer-facing role at pubs and restaurant group Whitbread, before rolling out stores for Coffee Republic in the south of England.

But it was at Phones 4U where Moore learned the retail ropes from its entrepreneurial founder John Caudwell, helping the retailer become more customer-focused and improving service standards across the estate. 

He recalls Caudwell as “truly inspirational, with such energy and pace”.Moore says: “He started with nothing. Single-minded and determined, he never allowed competition to get the better of him. His stamina is beyond belief.”

In that respect, it seems Moore and Caudwell are cut from the same cloth. Moore could not be more enthusiastic about the Jessops business, which last week posted a like-for-like sales increase of 3.6% in its first half.

The energetic and lively Moore joined Jessops as chief executive at a rocky time for the company. It was just about to delist from the Stock Exchange amid conversations with its bank over emergency restructuring to ensure its survival.

Two years on, the business has gained stability. “Most people had written poor old Jessops off,” says Moore. “There’s something quite satisfying to get it restructured and reinvent the business. Now we have a big, strong healthy Jessops that can fight its way in the world.”

Moore achieved a personal goal when he took up the Jessops job – his ambition was to become a chief executive by the age of 40. Now aged 42, Moore says his wide ranging experience before joining Jessops helped him get to grips with the business.

At health club chain Esporta, Moore, under then-boss Neil Gillis, helped get the company in shape – and sold – in difficult circumstances. “We got the business firing on all cylinders,” he says.

He also spent a year helping to restructure Threshers. “I’ve had a diverse range of experience – plc and entrepreneurial. I was in finance for five years, and service-oriented businesses for 10 years, building businesses, and understanding their strengths. It’s that range of experience that has helped me do my job [at Jessops],” he says.

The 6ft6 Moore is motivated by results. “I’m very targets-focused,” he says. “Setting goals for organisations is a key part of business. I’m absolutely driven by hitting the numbers. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to dial into figures from the day before.”

Does that leave him much time for relaxing? Not really, says Moore.

“I don’t switch off as easily as others, but I enjoy living that way. I have a busy life. I very much enjoy what I do.”

And if he hadn’t become a retailer? “The thing I always wanted to do was become an airline pilot,” says Moore, who chased his dream as a youngster only to be told he was too tall.

But he says when he finds the time he will get a pilot’s licence. “I’ll get there eventually,” he insists, with characteristic ambition.

For the time being, piloting’s loss is Jessops’ gain.