Mothercare executives have said the multichannel nursery retailer is “moving in the right direction” after a year in which sales decline has slowed, losses have narrowed and online sales have seen a significant improvement.
A year into its transformation programme, the retailer said, in its full year results that its Direct in Home online sales grew by 18.2% in the final quarter of its financial year, taking total sales growth in the channel to 4%, following the move to a new online platform and the introduction of improved delivery options to store and to home. These included the introduction of click and collect in May, which already accounts for about 20% of online sales.
“We are becoming more competitive online and offering the services that many other businesses have been doing for some time,” said Chief Executive Simon Calver in his review of the business. He added: “Whilst our Direct in Home sales have responded well to the improvements we have made during the last year, Direct in Store sales have been disappointing and at £33.9m were down 11.5%.”
