Mothercare 1Q UK Comparable Sales Fall 4.1%; Overseas Strong

15th Jul 2010 07:25

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Parenting and children's products retailer Mothercare PLC (MTC.LN) Thursday said sales from its U.K. stores open more than a year fell 4.1% in its first quarter, although it enjoyed strong growth overseas as it continued its expansion into new territories. Mothercare described trading in the U.K. as "challenging," and said it continues to plan cautiously for the remainder of this year. Total U.K. sales fell 2.6% in the 15 weeks to July 10. Mothercare's worldwide network sales, or its sales in the U.K., overseas and wholesale sales, rose 8%. International retail sales climbed 20% on particularly strong sales growth in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia. Mothercare also saw strong growth in online sales, which rose 14% in the quarter, boosted by the launch of a new Early Learning Centre website. The company, which trades from 1,167 stores in 53 countries, said it has bought maternity wear brand Blooming Marvellous. It didn't give any financial details of the deal. -By Hannah Benjamin, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-20-7842-9298; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 15, 2010 02:25 ET (06:25 GMT)