The turnaround at the group has been thanks to its increasing focus on higher-margin areas such as exclusive merchandise, developing and printing digital photos and own-brand accessories. In wake of the alert the company lost half its stock market value. To blame for the disaster was the consumer slowdown, competition from camera phones and pressure from supermarkets, which are increasingly impeding on its turf.After hitting an all-time low of 72p in June, Jessops shares have recovered strongly Yesterday they closed at 114.75p, up 5.75p on the day. Just three months after it floated, it issued the mother and father of all profits warnings. These figures were driven by strong trading over Christmas, when sales soared 13 per cent for the five weeks to 1 January, a 9.4 per cent increase on a like-for-like basis.All this is a far cry from the disaster that hit Jessops last year. It unveiled a pleasing first-half performance with sales for the 25 weeks to 26 March up 6.5 per cent, ahead by 2.6 per cent on the like-for-like basis. If the copper price remains at current levels this estimate will be made to look very conservative.

Buy.JessopsThe camera retailer Jessops confirmed yesterday that it is firmly back on the growth path. Investors should not be surprised if over the coming year it takes advantage of this and picks up prime local resource assets at a knockdown prices.Kazakhmys posted net income of $538.8m (£309m) for 2005. This is forecast to rise to $740m by the end of the current year. Labour in this part of the world is ultra cheap while the by-products of its copper mining business - gold, silver and zinc - are to die for.

Kazakhmys can sell them and in this way lower the cost of producing copper.The company's London listing - it is the first firm from the former Soviet Union to enjoy FTSE 100 status - gives it prestige and will allow it to access global debt markets at reasonable rates. From a geographical point of view, the company is well located. The fact that Kazakhstan borders China allows it to cash in on the rapid industrialisation of the emerging superpower.It also boasts a very low cost base. However, as far as pure copper players go, Kazakhmys is a class act. Should the soaraway price of the commodity suffer a reversal, its profits would quickly evaporate. Their 9.2 per cent rise to 1,042p yesterday followed solid annual results and a bullish outlook statement from the company. Kazakhmys told investors: "Supply and demand fundamentals suggest continued copper price strength throughout 2006." Of course it would say that.

Shares in Kazakhstan's biggest copper miner have now almost doubled in value. Anyone who bought into Kazakhmys at the company's float six months ago will be very happy with themselves. The company said it was taking legal action against a supplier over an alleged £2.5m fraud.Finally, the unsecured finance lender London Scottish Bank was in demand as traders talked of a possible 130p bid for it The stock closed at 112p, a rise of 8p.. It manages retail outlets and catering for airlines and airports, and is the second-largest airport retailer in the UK after BAA. One trader said: "I'm yet to see an investment bank recommend a company continue as before after a review. This company is gearing itself up for a sale and may be trying to take advantage of the optimism on alternative energy stocks."Alpha Airports was well bid, up 5p at 73p, on the back of strong results, with pre-tax profits for 2005 up by 40 per cent to £18.4m.