Retailer's sales suffer from increased competition
Mothercare reported decreased sales in its latest trading statement, but maintains gross margins for the full year will still be in line with market expectations.

There was a 0.8 per cent decrease in like-for-like UK sales for the thirteen weeks to January 7, and a 0.6 per cent fall in total UK sales, compared with the same period last year.

In the eight weeks from October last year, like-for-likes were down 1.6 per cent on the same period last year, and total sales were down 1.1 per cent, indicating sales increased slightly in the 5 weeks to January 7.

Mothercare chief executive Ben Gordon said: 'Our overall gross margins continue to improve. We went on Sale in accordance with our plans for the Christmas period and have managed our stock levels well.'

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