Mothercare to axe 111 shops

High Street giant Mothercare is to shut more than 100 stores across the country, bosses announced today.

The axed stores include 36 Mothercare sites and 75 Early Learning Centres owned by the group, following months of weak trade.

The move is expected to see more than 700 jobs lost and is part of plans to cut the number of its UK stores from 311 to 200 by March 2015.

No details have been given on the location of the stores to be axed, leaving staff at the Telford Mothercare store on Telford Bridge Retail Park and the Shrewsbury branch in the Darwin Shopping Centre in limbo.

Staff at both stores dec-lined to comment. A spoke-sman at the Early Learning Centre in Shrewsbury's Pride Hill Shopping Centre said today they had heard no news about job losses.

The announcement came as the company revealed a further deterioration in UK like-for-like sales, which fell 9.5 per cent in the 12 weeks to March 31, compared with three per cent in the previous quarter.

Mothercare has already closed 62 stores in the current financial year – three Mothercare outlets and 59 Early Learning Centres.

As part of cost reductions it will slash UK head office payroll costs by up to 16 per cent, equating to approximately 90 jobs. The group said its remaining 200 stores after the latest closures would be 'profitable' and comprise 95 out-of-town sites and 105 high street locations.

Executive chairman Alan Parker said the changes would see the company transformed into a 'lean, more competitive business'.

"Mothercare is a great global brand with strong in-ternational partners. Today marks the begin-ning of a three-year turnaround and I am confident we will deliver a sustained recovery and long-term success," he said.

Mothercare has branches across the West Midlands, including at Queensville Retail Park, Stafford, Wol-verhampton's Mander Centre, Crown Wharf Shopping Centre in Walsall, Merry Hill and Birmingham.

By David Seadon