Mothercare sees return to growth for UK sales
Mothercare saw its UK like-for-like sales grow by 1% in its third quarter as the mother baby products retailer benefited from online sales growth of 5.5%.
Online sales now represent 40% of UK sales.
Commenting on the results, Mothercare chief executive Mark Newton-Jones said: “The UK returned to growth following the challenging summer trading period. We maintained our focus on product improvement and full price sales while prudent stock management allowed us to enter the end-of-season-sale after peak trading with less stock than last year. Margin remains within our guidance for the full year.”
International retail sales were down 5.9% in constant currency and up 13.2% in actual currency. Mothercare said its international performance was mixed with China and Russia returning to growth and the Middle East “remaining challenging”.
The company said the group’s overall performance was in line with expectations.
Newton-Jones added: “We remain firmly focused on our strategy to build our businesses both here in the UK and internationally and our vision remains clear – to be the leading global retailer for parents and young children.”
