New chairman for Mothercare

2nd Aug 2011 12:22

Mothercare has announced former Whitbread chief executive, Alan Parker, is to join the company as non-executive chairman.He will replace Ian Peacock, who will step down from the role after nine years as chairman.In May the retailer of children's and parenting products revealed a 23.4% drop in annual profit and announced the closure of more than a quarter of its UK stores.Ben Gordon, chief executive of Mothercare, said Parker brought with him extensive international experience in franchising and in building consumer facing brands. "Alan's expertise and guidance will be invaluable as we continue on the next phase of Mothercare's development," he said.Parker said the firm was poised for future global expansion. "I look forward to working with the management team to realign the UK business and grow our brands internationally to deliver increased shareholder value," he said.Mothercare currently operates in 55 countries with 1,289 stores worldwide of which 927 Mothercare and Early Learning Centre stores are outside the UK and operated by franchise partners and joint ventures.