Mothercare UK sales return to growth thanks to online

Mothercare returned to sales growth in the UK in the third quarter following a difficult summer trading period.

In the 13 weeks to 7 January, UK like-for-like sales were up 1% as online sales – which now represent around 40% of UK sales – grew 5.5%.

Total UK sales were up 0.6%, while international sales were down around 6% at constant currency and up around 13% at actual currency, reflecting ongoing currency tailwinds. China and Russia returned to growth, while the Middle East remained challenging.

Mothercare opened 40 stores and closed 28, ending the quarter with 1,351.

Chief executive officer Mark Newton-Jones said: "Overall Group performance remains in line with market expectations.

"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."

At 1033 GMT, the shares were up 3.1% to 117p.