MOTHERCARE has announced signs of a trading recovery saying that like-for-like sales pushed ahead 3.4 per cent on a year earlier.

The performance comes after the company posted annual losses of £24.8m in its previous financial year.

Chief executive Ben Gordon, who took the helm in December, said the figures offered hope in the first months of a three-year recovery programme.

He said: "It is very encouraging that we have had this start, but it is still early days. The brand is incredibly strong and our customers have been sympathetic to the changes we have made so far."

The overhaul has seen Mothercare introduce new ranges and tackle distribution problems.

Supply chain problems had been at the heart of Mothercare's problems, although the new management team also found stores suffered from a "lack of attention"