Interim Mothercare boss Newton-Jones could take on role permanently

It is understood that Interim Mothercare boss Mark Newton-Jones was identified by headhunters as a permanent replacement for Simon Calver, who stood down last month.

However, he was drafted in on a six-month contract as he was available after leaving Shop Direct last July, where he was in charge for almost a decade.

A source close to Mothercare said: “He’s here to stabilise the ship but if he likes it and they like him, who knows?”

It is understood that Newton-Jones, who joins Mothercare next Monday, will approach the position as he would if he was in the role permanently. Improving standards in store is thought to be a top priority.

Newton-Jones’ experience in turning around businesses should put him in good stead for the Mothercare position.

He transformed Shop Direct from a legacy catalogue business into an online retailer in his 10 years at the helm.

He oversaw the sale of Littlewoods’ store portfolio and integrated the operations of home shopping giants Littlewoods and GUS Home Shopping while stabilising sales.

Mothercare’s UK business has been struggling for some time with like-for-like sales in free fall for the past three years. Mothercare is in the process of axing 110 UK stores to make a 200 shop business. Group pre-tax losses hit £21.5m in its year to March 2013 against a £102.9m loss the previous year.