Mothercare reports rise in UK sales

Mother and baby specialist Mothercare today hailed its resilience in a “difficult” market after posting a rise in UK third quarter sales.

The group said comparable sales increased by 1.1% in the 13 weeks to January 9, while its international retail arm saw growth of more than 49%.

Mothercare said UK business was boosted by its Direct in Home offering and the move to develop its Early Learning Centre (ELC) arm, bought for £85m (€94m) in June 2007.

It has been including ELC ranges within Mothercare outlets, which saw a “strong performance”, according to Mothercare.

The group’s total sales in the third quarter rose 4.2% and Mothercare said this brought growth so far this financial year to 7.2%, or 2.3% on an underlying basis taking into account the ELC acquisition.