Baby brand Mamas & Papas grows on High Street

Mamas & Papas plans to open up to ten more concessions in Next and Marks & Spencer stores as the nursery and baby clothing retailer ramps up expansion plans.

The further push into bricks-and-mortar shops caps a remarkable revival for the company, which has undergone a series of restructurings that have included cutting jobs and shutting stores since it was bought by private equity firm Bluegem a decade ago.

Chief executive Nathan Williams told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We’re very much on track for a record-breaking year. We’ve had a phenomenal golden quarter of peak trade.’

Mamas & Papas sells everything from baby clothing and toys to nursery furniture and pushchairs.

The company posted a 7 per cent jump in underlying sales in the 13 weeks to 31 December. Underlying profits rose by 50 per cent.

‘Growth has come from all our channels,’ Williams said. UK sales are now split almost equally between its own shops, concessions and online.

Mamas & Papas has 33 ‘stores-within-stores’ in Next and M&S and is looking to open another ten this year. It also plans to expand in Spain, Thailand and Indonesia.

Williams played down speculation that Bluegem might look to sell the business. He said market conditions ‘are not that conducive’.

Accounts filed for Mamas & Papa’s holding company, Stork Beta Ltd, show that in the year to March 2023 sales hit £144 million, versus £126 million in 2022. Pretax profits jumped to £8.2 million from £6.2 million.