Morrisons, who bought the internet retailer Kiddicare last year for £70 million, is to expand the company into commercial properties. Currently Kiddicare only has one store, which is a 60,000 sq ft commercial property in Peterborough. This store is also the largest baby store in Europe.
Morrisons have bought ten of 11 former Best Buy Stores to expand their retail presence. The commercial properties are located in Aintree, Bristol, Croydon, Enfield, Hayes, Hedge End, Merry Hill, Nottingham, Rotherham and Thurrock. These stores will enable approximately a third of the country driving access to a store, as Scott Weavers-Wright, Chief Executive, stated: “These 10 flagship stores will put Kiddicare within easy driving distance of nearly a third of the UK population.”
The expansion plan by Kiddicare is a huge blow for Mothercare, who struggled with profit losses last year due to a drop in sales.
Speaking of Mothercare’s difficult times, Matt Piner, of the Retail Consultancy Conlumino, said: “Mothercare has blamed its falling UK sales and profits on the economic environment, but in reality all this has done is expose the wider issues the retailer faces.
“In the past, Mothercare relied on being the definitive source of information for expectant mothers, a position it used to justify its higher prices.”
With the flagship Kiddicare store in Peterborough offering services such as: advice, baby scans, three floors of products, 150 seated restaurant, try before you buy service, displays, personal shopper, and bespoke baby sculptors, it is no wonder that Mothercare is being outshone by Kiddicare.
Kiddicare offers big brands such as: Baby Bjorn, Britax, Cosatto, Graco, Maclaren, Maxi-Cosi and Phil & Teds. But the company also offers smaller everyday products such as baby food, nappies and wipes, to name a few, in their Morrisons stores.
The company which currently employs 130 staff at its Peterborough branch will create 700 jobs in the ten new commercial properties. It is understood that the company will not be employing ex-Best Buy workers, as the majority of them have taken up jobs elsewhere with the Carphone Warehouse group.
Morrisons plans to spend around £15 million converting the commercial properties, which will offer similar services to the Peterborough outlet. However new services are planned to be introduced at the stores, such as child car seat fitting.
With a string of awards under its belt, including Golden Chariot, Mother & Baby, Retail Systems, and E-Commerce for Excellence just to name a few, could Kiddicare be the UK’s number one baby retailer on the high street as well as online?
