Mothercare launches in-store clothing collection initiative

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 28, 2017

Mothercare, the leading global retailer for parents and young children, has launched a clothing collection initiative at selected stores across the UK as new figures reveal that more than 70% of parents still have baby clothes their children have outgrown.

According to survey of 2,000 parents with children aged 18 and under, commissioned by Mothercare and Hubbub, British households are hanging on to massive amounts of baby clothing long after their little ones have grown up. Data reveals that this is the equivalent of 250 items of baby clothing for every baby born in the UK in 2017.

In the run up to Mother’s Day, Mothercare is rolling out the #GiftABundle initiative, which invites parents to bring good quality unwanted baby and children’s clothing to selected Mothercare stores.

The garments will be gift-wrapped and distributed to other local families in need in bundles of six items.

“As parents, it’s natural we would want to keep some of our children’s clothing for sentimental reasons, or perhaps to pass on to our grandchildren, but we’re all guilty of hanging onto a bit too much!,” said Gary Kibble, global brand and marketing director of Mothercare.

The research revealed that many parents have donated some of their children’s outgrown clothing to charity shops (83%), sold them (51%) or passed them on to friends and family (83%).  However, a third of parents (34%) said they had thrown baby clothes in the bin because they needed the space or didn’t know what else to do with them.

“It’s a terrible shame to hear that perfectly usable clothes that were once loved are ending up in the bin, particularly when you consider that the average UK family spends £11,000 clothing each child to the age of 18,” commented Hubbub co-founder Heather Poore.

The clothing collection initiative is a model already tried and tested by several clothing brands, including H&M, which has been trialling different project over the past five years and launched a World Recycle Week last year to collect 1,000 tonnes of old clothing across its 3,600 stores worldwide.

Zara offers customers a pick-up service of old clothes in Spain, while retailers such as Levi Strauss & Co. and American Eagle Outfitters feature collection points at selected stores in the US.