Mothercare: live webchat with CEO Simon Calver, TODAY, Friday 22 March, 11am

[RachelMumsnet]

Simon Calver, Mothercare CEO is joining us for a webchat on Friday 22nd March between 11am and midday. After reading a recent rather, erm, robust MN thread about Mothercare, Simon really wants to hear more of your thoughts and feedback. This is your opportunity to contribute your ideas to help shape the future of Mothercare.

Simon says, 'I'm really looking forward to hearing from many of you in the Mumsnet community and to listen to your thoughts and opinions on a range of subjects. We are working hard to address many of the issues you've raised in the past so I hope you'll join me on Friday when I can update you on what we've done so far and some of our ideas for the future.'

Before joining Mothercare Simon was CEO at LoveFilm and has also worked with Unilever and PepsiCo. He is also a father of two very young children.

Simon looks forward to hearing your thoughts about Mothercare between 11 and 12 on Friday. if you're unable to join us on the day, please post your question in advance on this thread.

[SimonCalver]

@yousankmybattleship

Hello. Sorry, I've not had time to read all the previous questions so apologies if I'm repeating any. Can I ask you about store layout? When my children were small I used two branches of Mothercare (one of which was one of the big out of town ones) and in both there was not enough room to get a buggy between the displays. The aisles were lovely and wide but it was impossible to browse anything else without leaving my buggy in an aisle and trying to dash in before my baby noticed and started wailing.

In the past our store layout has been quite cramped and difficult for buggies to go round; in fact, my first shop after Monty was born - before i joined - was very difficult. We are simplifying the ranges, de-cluttering some of the stores, so hopefully over the coming months, you'll see it getting better.

[SimonCalver]

@HRH008

Hi Simon,
I missed out on Mothercare as I live in Germany. Mothercare is sorely needed over here. I enquired about the possibility of opening a store here but was told that it wasn`t possible. Is it? I am still interested, and there is a HUGE market here.
Cheers
008

We're in over 61 countries worldwide - something I'm very proud of - and are constantly looking for new markets to go in to. We tend to work with large franchise partners, who want to open many stores. If you forward your information to me, I can pick up your query directly.

[SimonCalver]

@FoofFighter

Simon, are you opening any new stores in the Moray area? Such a hassle to go to Inverness or Aberdeen for baby things, or the vastly overpriced and understocked local independent pram shop - you're missing a trick!

My first job was in Mothercare and made a pramnerd out of me

That's the first time I've heard the expression 'pramnerd' - I'm glad there are more people out there who feel the same way I do!
With two young ones, I'm constantly lifting them in and out of prams. We have no plans at the moment to open new stores, but as soon as we've completed the turnaround in the UK in the next couple of years, we'll be looking at new opportunities. I hope you can continue to shop at your nearest store or online in the meantime. Thank you for your support.

[Skoggy]

Hello there Simon.
Many thanks for coming onto Mumsnet to read our suggestions and listening to our issues with Mothercare.
I'm not going to repeat what has been said so many times (high prices, closing stores, cafe / relaxing facilities etc.) but, I have an idea.

Why not work with / collaborate with the Mumsnet Local Ambassadors / Editors? They are people our there who are voices of the every day Mumsnetter trying to promote all things Mumsnet and getting Mums connected in the real world.

Just an idea. :)

[SimonCalver]

@JaquelineHyde

Hello

Just wanted to say that I echo a lot of what has already been raised on this thread and hope that you are able to take on board some of the comments.

However, I think it's really important that you hear when you are doing something right. So I would just like to congratulate your staff at the Eastbourne/Hampden Park store. I was in there yesterday and they couldn't have been more helpful or polite.

I am due to have DC4 in the next 3 weeks and so have been in and out of the store regularly over the last 9 months and have made all the larger purchases from the store purely because of the service I have recieved in there. My Mum is about to adopt a newborn baby which will bring her total to 9 children and she is also massively impressed with the service she has recieved and has continued to shop there for her baby.

Whilst the stores facilities could be better (seating, toilets etc) the staff are superb, always willing to find the best deal for me, point me in the direction of any offers, have organised home deliveries when things I want (car seat and isofix) haven't been in stock and they can always offer expert advice when asked.

Please, please do contact the store and let them know what a fabulous job they are doing. If there is any kind of in house company reward scheme then they deserve to win it. Highly, highly reccomended

We do have an in-house award scheme, and I'll be sure to get the store on and send them a personal thank you. Thank you for supporting us.

[HippiTEEHoppoTEE]

Simon said "...although I think the rage we offer..."

Best typo ever!!!

[SimonCalver]

@VisualiseAHorse

I found the baby-care room awful (Dundee). If a mother (or indeed a dad) does want to sit and either bottle or breast feed their baby, they have to do so in the same room where babies nappies are being changed. This is the same as being fed in a toilet in my opinion. There was no privacy for a woman who may feel uncomfortable feeding in public.

Also - there was no where near enough room for 4 buggies in there (there were two changing stations and two chairs to sit on), so couldn't be used by 4 parents at the same time. The chairs were not comfortable at all - particually if you are breastfeeding - they were high and rigid, not low and comfortable enough for most mothers who are breastfeeding.

You need to have seperate feeding and changing rooms - would you eat your lunch in a toilet?

Where possible, we try to have separate rooms. I'll pick up the Dundee point directly and have a look into it.

[SimonCalver]

@happyfrogger

Hi Simon,

My local Mothercare (Wimbledon) closed down so I shop online. Unfortunately the 3 times I have done this I have had problems, including:

1) Items arriving in 3 separate packages on 3 different days from the same order
2) Twice, packages not showing up on the day I took off work and waited in

I accept problems happen very occasionally but 3 out of 3 is not good and has put me offer returning as a customer, which is a shame as I like your products. On calling customer services I was advised that this 'happens quite a lot' and that 'we suspect sometimes our drivers just nick stuff - they're not as good as they used to be' - I was so taken aback I didn't know what to say!!

Do you have plans to reconsider your delivery company?

We have recently changed our delivery company because I recognised we just weren't getting the service we needed. We now have next-day free delivery to most of our stores and we'll continue to roll that out. We're also making lots of systems-changes to get better in this area. Hopefully we will have a much better hit-rate in the future.

[SimonCalver]

@milktraylady

Please read the bra intervention threads on mumsnet- I can't buy any of your nursing bras as I am already (at 37 weeks) outside your stock range. We need smaller back sizes & larger cup sizes! Thanks.

Also if staff are not really doing anything & there is a queue at the till & pregnant people in the queue- it would be good customer service to open more tills so we don't have to stand (in agony). Never happens in mothercare

We're looking to extend our range in D-G sizes for our Autumn-Winter range, in store in July/August. We're also working to ensure we improve availability of the sizes we do stock. I see this as a priority for us to get right.

Where we have space we try and have chairs, but unfortunately we can't have them in all stores.

[greatdreams]

"We need to recognise we all have different tastes and at Mothercare we need to cater for all mums" >> BIG mistake. No, you cannot reasonably cater to all mums effectively (we don't all go to Iceland you know...). I would expect better from a CEO.

[SimonCalver]

@Mckenngp1

Hi I would like to ask why you have stopped selling school uniform and if you have plans to reintroduce? I was so disappointed not to be able to buy school uniform from mothercare as it was quite simply the best in my opinion.

We're looking at this at the moment because we see it as an important part of the service we provide to mums. It may take us a little while to get them, but we're certainly looking at it. We also think there is an opportunity for more shoes in store. Thanks for the feedback.

[ShrewveTuesday]

What do you think your USP is?

[Cherylmumofthree]

Hi everyone, I have just had a skim read of this...have any of you considered using your local baby shop instead of the big chains that, as several people have mentioned, are deserting the high streets? Local shops often offer far more personal service and it is in their best interests to go that extra mile for you. If the big chains are not doing what you would like, go and see your local shop and ask them to help!

[ShrewveTuesday]

Oh gosh, you really need to practise saying "parents", not "mums". I know the brand is called Mothercare (and this is Mumsnet ), but still...

[SimonCalver]

@Wincher

My nearest branch is the Edmonton one and I am VERY impressed with it since its revamp - it's now somewhere I take my son as a destination as he loves the play areas, and of course I normally buy something while I'm there. Definitely a model to be copied elsewhere - the store is clean, spacious, stocks a good range of products, including the Clarks and ELC sections, has several play areas, plus a Costa Coffee.

However I would add my voice to the pleas for less gender division in the toys. I hate the way there is a pink version of everything. There's just no need!

Thanks for the feedback on Edmonton - we're delighted with how our customers are responding to it. On toy colours, we try to offer all options to people to ensure we give people what they want to buy. You'll certainly see less boy/girl differentiation in future, for example there are no pink/blue toys in the baby and toddler range.

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

I don't know if it's been covered yet but what do you think on the pink/blue issue ? Personally I'd like to see more choice of especially bright colours in your children's clothing. Also would like to see you stocking more for the older 7+ age group as often buying for several children across the age range. ie something for younger neice and would like to pick up something for my children at the same time. What do you think ?

[SimonCalver]

@MoetEtPantsOn

I am in Australia where Mothercare has just gone into administration, which is very sad. For me some of the comments on here do not resonate- the staff here are unfailingly delightful and helpful. I think that the prices were the downfall over here- the clothes compared poorly to many other more well known, local brands.

At the moment, all stock is being sold off, but even with the discounts it is still expensive by comparison - particularly the ELC branded items.

Are you able to comment on the future here? Is the out of town approach one that will be taken here?

Thank you

Unfortunately the board in Australia had no choice but to put the company into administration. I was very disappointed to hear this news. The process is with the adminstrator at the moment, and we will certainly look at all options to ensure that mums in Australia can have access to Mothercare products and clothes. But it is very early days in our response yet.

[FatimaLovesBread]

Maternity bras! I could only find one bra in store in a 32 back and that was only a c cup. No use to my at the time 32Fs. A lot of them when I look at the information only started at 34 and I'm a size 10 so not particularly slim.

Price. Everything I bought was cheaper elsewhere.

New baby clothes, it'd be nice to have something other than baby pink.

Have to say though, I can't fault the returns policy.
We've had quite a few things bought that we need to exchange sometimes twice, both with and without receipts and we've had no problem, very easy to do.
The feeding/baby change facilities in my local store are fab too

[SimonCalver]

@hufflepup

Hi Simon,

I'm an army wife and we were recently posted abroad. I was pregnant and ordered a lot of maternity things from Mothercare.

British armed forces serving overseas have their post delivered from the UK by the military postal service. We are given a BFPO (British Forces Posted Overseas) address and the normal postal service delivers post to a special UK sorting office where the military system takes over for free.

Why why why, when all Mothercare have to do is get my post to a UK address like any other, does it cost so much extra to have things delivered to BFPO addresses? It makes us very cross over here & could be seen as discriminatory against the armed forces. (Which isn't very nice of you really after we gave you the military wives choir and all that) please explain.

Thank you!

I have a BIL who is serving in Afghanistan at the moment and he has a young child too, so I understand your frustrations. Let me specifically look in to what we can do in this area as quickly as I can.

[Mumsyblouse]

I am shocked there's no school uniform any more. I used to get summer dresses from there...

More shoes is a great idea, be even better if they weren't all Clarks (which I can get elsewhere).

[Wibblytummy]

Please may I ask if there are any plans to introduce more varieties of reusable nappies to your stores? You stock a large and wonderful selection of disposable nappies but when it comes to reusable the only choice on offer is totsbots, even your own smart nappies were axed and removed from the shelves. It would be lovely to be able to browse and see the variety of nappies available and it may encourage others in to the world of reusable who were previously unaware of the vast choice about.

Also I won't echo the feelings on blue/pink but may I ask why there is so little variation in the designs for boys. Season after season I see beautiful new designs arrive for the girls and yet my DS is lumped with an appliqué dinosaur or some tired slogan about being 'naughty' or 'cheeky'.

[SimonCalver]

@PurplePidjin

Hi Simon, this is an excellent place to do your research and I hope you manage to implement at least some of these suggestions.

There is some evidence to suggest that the type of baby carrier most commonly promoted by your store (and other big names) can contribute to hip dysplasia in very young babies. What are your thoughts on this? Is there a possibility that you could promote more natural ways to support a carried baby, either by stocking more ergonomic styles of soft structured carrier or promoting wrap types?

Also, there used to be an excellent product called the Mothercare Smart Nappy. There is a roaring trade in these on sites like ebay, yet Mothercare discontinued the line. Living in a society trying to reduce waste, what are your reasons for withdrawing support from the reusable nappy market?

Thank you :)

Thank you for your questions - let me look into the smart nappy, and I will pick up with the team on what we can do in the baby carrier area.

[WomanlyWoman]

Lots of ppl inc me want more choice on colours for their kids, somany ppl fed up of the pink-blue divide and the pretty flower/littlemonster stereotypes.

[SimonCalver]

@ShrewveTuesday

Oh gosh, you really need to practise saying "parents", not "mums". I know the brand is called Mothercare (and this is Mumsnet ), but still...

Everything that we provide is focused on the baby and the parents, but motherhood is a really challenging time for mums, and I think we need to ensure we give them all the help they need. Saying that, as a dad and fan of Mothercare, please read 'dads' whenever you see mums.

[SimonCalver]

@HippiTEEHoppoTEE

Simon said "...although I think the rage we offer..."

Best typo ever!!!

Nobody said being CEO of Mothercare would be easy