I have been in and out of these a few times :-)) ..... bumping around their bottom but starting to bounce a little ..... closed @ 87/90p on Friday.

They have fallen from grace because of poor distribution probelens caused by poor management and an out of House warehousing system. THis is being sorted and new guys have replaced the old .....

Great brand name and selling could be overdone ..... anyway I am in for a few @ 90p and will let them ride for a while - not a t trade. Recent director buying around this price


ains


bought @ 90p - currently moving up at 141/145p 13/05 = plus 56.66% net

i wouldn't buy the likes of ASC either

Non-Ex. Director buys 30,000 shares. http://moneyam.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20111122151041H5868.html

Take-over talk in todays papers 10% premium.

Cinven mulling $234 million offer for Mothercare



{ 16:34, Sunday 11 December 2011

LONDON (Reuters) - Buyout firm Cinven is assessing a 150 million pound-plus ($234 million) takeover of mother and baby products retailer Mothercare (LSE: MTC.L - news) , the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The newspaper said Cinven is looking at the retailer with a view to making a cash offer but had yet to approach Mothercare's board. A source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Sunday that Mothercare had not received any approaches.

The Sunday Telegraph said Cinven was most interested in the international potential for the brand, following its franchising success in countries as diverse as Greece and Iraq.

It also believes its performance in Britain could be revived under the right management, the newspaper added.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times reported Cinven wants to team up with an experienced retail head to spearhead the plans with the favourite being Paul Mason, chairman of Cath Kidston, the homewear and fashion retailer.

The Sunday Times said Mothercare's British stores could be jettisoned by Cinven so it can focus on the better-performing overseas operation.

Mothercare is battling intense competition in Britain from supermarkets and internet players, as well as consumer uncertainty in the face of tough economic headwinds.

In November, it launched a strategic review of its British business having detailed plans in May to close about 110 stores.

Mothercare said it would not comment on market rumour or speculation. Cinven could not be reached for comment.

if it's a bare 10% premium over friday's close, not worth chasing

Agree, 10% is no where near tempting.

Mothercare is to report Thursday and it has seen its shares after gloomy first-half results in November With the price down 75% since the start of 2011, some might be thinking there's a recovery opportunity there, but analysts are expecting to hear of a further fall in revenue.

Third Quarter Trading Update.

Mothercare plc updates on trading for the 13 weeks ended 7 January 2012 ("third quarter").

Group performance : third quarter

§ Worldwide network sales(1) up 3.0%
§ Total group sales down 1.2%
§ International retail sales(1) up 15.0% (up 18.5% at constant exchange rates)
§ UK like-for-like sales(1) down 3.0%(2)
§ Total UK sales down 6.9% mainly due to planned store closures
§ UK Direct in Home sales down 2.2%(2)

Group performance : year-to-date

§ Worldwide network sales(1) up 4.5%
§ Total group sales up 2.0%
§ International retail sales(1) up 15.5%
§ UK like-for-like sales down 5.4%
§ Total UK sales down 5.3%
§ UK Direct in Home sales down 3.4%

Mostly down to this Baylis http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4305580

Just noticed the rise in these today. Haven't traded them for yonks, is there renewed optimism? Checked the website, reporting tomorrow but divis are not mentioned anywhere, anyone any id
eas or info ?

Trading Update.

Trading update

The financial year ended 31 March 2012 contained 53 weeks. The trading data below is on a fully comparable basis for 52 weeks. Statutory 53 week data is set out in note 1.

Full year (52 weeks)

· Worldwide network sales(2) up 4.3%
· Total group sales up 0.7%
· International retail sales(2) up 16.0%
· Total UK sales down 6.3%
· UK like-for-like sales(2) down 6.2%
· Direct in Home sales down 3.4%

Fourth quarter (12 weeks)

· Worldwide network sales(2) up 4.5%
· Total group sales down 4.2%
· International retail sales(2) up 18.0%
· Total UK sales down 9.5%
· UK like-for-like sales(2) down 8.2%
· Direct in Home sales down 3.2%

Thanks skinny, not great then :O)

Looks like they should leave the UK altogether!

Aye think so too, yet up on the open albeit no great volume.

Incredible up nearly 2%, am I missing something here skinny? still low volume. When it runs out of steam has to be a short hasn't it?

They seem to be proactive in addressing their problems and are increasing overseas profits - they now have over 1,000 overseas stores.

I guess the perception is they are making the right moves.

What's the difference in buying internationally, surely no different to the UK ie cheaper outlets on internet to buy from as here. Are there goods any cheaper than in the UK? Obviously market so far seems impressed.

Went short on the spreads on Friday @ 177.7 going well today. Moved stop to 172.7 to lock in + 5.0, target 160.0.

Thursday -

Mothercare is another retailer that is likely to have been hit by bad weather, and Peel Hunt is expecting the baby-wear and toddler goods seller's first quarter to see a continuation of the poor trading trends seen in the previous quarter. "We expect LFL sales to fall by c8%, with Direct negatively impacted by the platform change and gross margin also down yoy [year-on-year]," the broker said. "In short, this is not an instant recovery plan, although we expect international growth of 15-20%," Peel Hunt added. "From recent marketing activity, we sense the majority of investors are open to Mothercare's three-year recovery plan. For our own part, we rate the new management team highly, but see potential for 2013E UK losses to widen before initiatives gain traction in 2014E," the broker said