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Published
Jul 14, 2016
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Mothercare says online now responsible for third of UK sales

Published
Jul 14, 2016

Mothercare, the British baby and maternity retailer, reported a 2.1% decline in total UK sales in the first quarter of 2016, the 15-week period to 9 July 2016.

Photo: Smile by Julien MacdonaldMothercar


UK like-for-like sales rose, however, up 1.2% as the end-of-season sale was brought forward by one week in order to clear stock after bad weather in the quarter. Mothercare also saw an increase in UK online sales, which were up 6.4%, and said online now represents 35.5% of total UK sales. Mobile represents 84% of traffic and 61% of online sales. At the end of the quarter, Mothercare had 170 stores in the UK.

International constant currency sales rose 3.9% during Q1, with about half of the growth coming from the Middle Easter market, due to the earlier timing of Ramadan this year. Actual currency sales rose 5.1%.

Mark Newton-Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Mothercare plc, said: “Our focus remains firmly on the turnaround of our business and putting strong foundations down for the future and we have made further progress during this quarter.”

“In the UK sales were impacted by unseasonable weather, this resulted in bringing our end-of-season sale forward by one week to ensure a cleaner stock position while also making way for the new season’s ranges. We continued with our refurbishment of stores in the quarter and continued to improve our customers’ shopping experience both instore and online.”

“International sales were materially helped by the timing of Ramadan, which was entirely in Q1 this year. We remain cautious and expect to see continued volatility during the first half of the year in our International business."

Newton-Jones also said the company hasn't yet seen any immediate consumer reaction to the Brexit vote, but added it is "too early to call."

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