Analysis: Mothercare takes baby steps in its turnaround

However, he’s not celebrating just yet and admits the performance is set against weak comparatives.

He says: “It’s encouraging to see positive like-for-like growth for the first time in ten quarters. But we’re still taking things store-by-store and day-by-day.”

There were clearly some quick wins for Calver who has centred his turnaround plan on improving customer service, cutting costs, bettering price perception and developing its multichannel offer as well as its well-publicised store closures.

Online was one such area; the retailer’s direct to home sales actually declined last year.

Former Lovefilm boss Calver was clearly the man to spearhead the online turnaround and he has done just that. During the quarter the retailer’s web sales jumped 11%.

It has already made online delivery quicker and easier, although Calver admits he wants to get to a place where it does next day delivery and designated time slots.

The bigger challenge for Calver was, and still remains, repairing and communicating Mothercare’s value credentials.

New mothers were fast falling out of love with the brand with products available cheaper online and in supermarkets.Consultancy OC&C found that only 43% of customers feel that the retailer’s value proposition is strong.

However Calver says customers are reacting positively to the changes to the “retail basics” he’s made to the business.

Measures to reduce prices, in particular within clothing, have already filtered into stores and it is striving to improve service. Calver says: “It’s about providing customers with great service and putting the products new mums want at great prices in front of them.

“Customers are responding to the value proposition and are also trading up.”

He insists that it is equally important to get the better and best end of the offer right too.  The retailer has recently launched the Little Bird range with Jools Oliver and has revamped its Blooming Marvellous collection.

However, Conlumino senior Joseph Robinsons warns that Mothercare has merely taken baby steps on what he says will be a long road ahead in its turnaround.

He says: “Mothercare faces a long term challenge to turnaround a proposition which had failed to adapt to the evolving UK retail landscape.This will have to be achieved against the backdrop of mounting competitive threats, not least in the form of Kiddicare and John Lewis’ continued expansion of its At Home format.”

While it is true that competition is stepping up, the retailer has clearly upped its game and customer perception is improving.

The prospect of a snazzy new store format, which it trialled at its Edmonton, London store last month, being rolled out could give shoppers a further reason to head to its stores.

Although it may not be out of the water yet, Calver’s early progress shows that Mothercare may have another baby boom on the horizon.