Mothercare Regulatory News (MTC)

6 Apr 2006 07:00

Mothercare PLC06 April 2006 6 April 2006 MOTHERCARE PLC PRE CLOSE TRADING UPDATE Mothercare plc today issued the following update on trading. The statement isbeing made in respect of Mothercare's year (53 weeks) ended 1 April 2006. Allfigures in the statement are comparable with the same number of weeks in theprior period. Group performance Group sales for the 12 weeks to 1 April 2006 were up 5.6%. Group sales for the25 weeks to 1 April 2006 were up 4.8% and for the 53 weeks to 1 April 2006, wereup 3.7%. UK store like for like sales were up 0.2% for the 12 weeks to 1 April 2006.After adjusting for the timing of Easter, UK store like for like sales were upby an estimated 1.2% for the 12 weeks. We expect both the gross margin and the profit outturn for the full year to bein line with market estimates. UK performance 12 Weeks to 25 Weeks to 53 Weeks to 1 April 2006 1 April 2006 1 April 2006Total UK sales % +2.0% +2.2% +1.5%UK store sales % +0.9% +1.2% +0.9%UK store saleslike-for-like % +0.2% +0.4% -0.3% Our UK business continues to grow steadily and we have seen strong sales growthfrom the Direct business confirming the importance of our multi channelstrategy. We expect the overall market to remain challenging in the coming months andwhilst our trading performance is encouraging, like most retailers we facerising occupancy, employee and utility costs. International performance 12 Weeks to 25 Weeks to 53 Weeks to 1 April 2006 1 April 2006 1 April 2006 Total International sales % +28.5% +23.4% +20.1% Our International business continues to grow rapidly and 46 franchise storeswere added during the year. Ben Gordon, Chief Executive said: "We continue to improve Mothercare's trading capability and we are pleased thatthe company is performing strongly. The resilience of the UK business in adifficult trading environment reflects the actions we have taken to developMothercare's position as a specialist multi-channel retailer. Our internationalexpansion continues apace, reinforcing the strength of the Mothercare brandworldwide." The full financial performance for the year (53 weeks to 1 April 2006) will bereported when the Mothercare Plc Preliminary Results are announced on 24 May2006. Enquiries to: Mothercare plc Ben Gordon, Chief Executive 01923 206001Neil Harrington, Finance Director 01923 206140 Brunswick GroupSusan Gilchrist/Catherine Hicks 020 7404 5959 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange