It's Never Done

Mothers Work, Inc. (Philadelphia), the maternity retailer whose nameplates include Motherhood Maternity, A Pea in the Pod and Mimi Maternity, announced a 7.5 percent net sales increase for the month of June 2001. Comparable-store sales increased 1 percent. (A year ago, same-store sales increased 8.8 percent.)

Internet sales, although still a minor part of the company's total revenue, increased 45 percent above June 2000.

For the third quarter ending June 30, 2001, net sales increased 5.6 percent, comp-store sales decreased 2 percent and the company opened 16 new stores and closed two existing stores. It ended the quarter with 765 locations. A year ago, it had 683.

“Our revenues continued to grow during the month of June due to new store locations and Internet sales,” said president and coo Rebecca Matthias. “Improved weather conditions throughout most of the country during the second half of the month enabled us to record positive comparable sales for June. Despite the negative comps for the quarter, we are very pleased that our sourcing and merchandising initiatives continue to strengthen gross margin rates.”

The firm designs and produces about three-fourths of its merchandise and subcontracts the rest. Mothers Work's 765 maternity locations include 631 stores and 134 leased departments. It will be opening two new Pea in the Pod locations in the fall, one in Tampa, Fla., and its new flagship location, a block-long, two-story facility on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. It has liquidated its money-losing Episode non-maternity apparel chain.