Mothercare third quarter sales up 1.1% in UK
Mothercare increased its UK like-for-like sales by 1.1% in its third quarter as the mother and baby products retailer made progress with its turnaround.
In the 13 weeks to 10 January, total sales declined by 1.9% as the retailer continued to close loss making stores which took space down by 4.2%.
Mothercare chief executive Mark Newton-Jones said: “Third quarter results are in line with our plan. Importantly, in the UK, we have continued to reduce the level of promotional activity and went into the end of season sale on Boxing Day, with less stock and later than in recent years.
“These actions are re-establishing Mothercare as a full price retailer and in turn stabilising our margin. In International, we have seen continued strong growth from all territories, despite the economic uncertainty in some markets.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!Mothercare’s UK online sales increased by 16.1% in the period and represented 31.8% of total UK sales. Mobile continued to grow and accounted for 75% of UK online sessions compared to 65% in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, click-and-collect orders rose by 10.7% to represent 36.6% of UK online orders.
Mothercare’s international sales achieved double digit growth with constant currency sales up 14.4% and space up 11.5% in the quarter. However, sales growth was 5.4% in actual currency terms.
Newton-Jones added: “Whilst trading conditions remain challenging, we are continuing to make good progress on our strategic plan. Our vision is clear – to be the leading global retailer for parents and young children.”
