History
1960s
The decade of Bill & Ben and Camberwick Green, Etch A Sketch and Operation, Polka Dot Dresses and Short Trousers.
- 1961
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Selim Zikha spots there is no one-stop shop for mothers-to-be and their children, and buys the Harris Chain of pram shops
Our first store opens on 19th September in Kingston Surrey
- 1962
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We begin our mail order business
- 1968
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Our product range increases to include children under 5
We open our first overseas store in St. Gallen, Switzerland
- 1969
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The 100th UK Mothercare store opens in Sunderland
1970s
The decade of Bod and Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Skateboards and Space Hoppers, Flared Jeans and Hot Pants.
- 1970
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We open our first store in Austria
- 1972
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Mothercare becomes a public company
- 1974
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ELC was founded originally as a mail order business, before opening its first store in Reading later this year
- 1976
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Our product range increases to include children up to 10
- 1977
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The first US Mothercare store opens in Langhorne, Pennsylvania
- 1979
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We receive the Queen’s Award for Export Achievements
1980s
The decade of Postman Pat and Roland Rat, Cabbage Patch Dolls and Ninja Turtles, Lycra and Leggings.
- 1981
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We launch our own credit card
- 1982
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Mothercare merges with Terence Conran’s Habitat chain
- 1984
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Our first franchise store opens in Kuwait
- 1986
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Our National Distribution Centre opens at Wellingborough
The first Mothercare crèche opens in our Worcester store
- 1989
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The Mothercare catalogue is available in 12 languages with mothers in 130 countries using our Mothercare-by-Post service
1990s
The decade of Teletubbies and Power Rangers, Beanie Babies and Roller Blades, Crop Tops and Bootcut Jeans.
- 1992
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We acquire Heinz Baby Club, which gives us the rights to distribute Bounty packs to new mums
Our first franchise store in Australia opens
- 1995
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We open our first out-of-town shopping development – an 18,000 sq. ft. store in Fosse Park, Leicester
- 1996
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Mothercare purchases the chain of out-of-town Children’s World stores
- 1997
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Our new concept store launches in Watford.
2000s
The decade of Bob the Builder and In the Night Garden, Baby Annabell and Nintendo DS, Skinny Jeans and Uggs.
- 2000
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After being bought in 1981 by Habitat plc and undergoing various mergers, Mothercare once again becomes a stand-alone company
- 2007
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We acquire ELC
We now have a presence in over 45 countries
We begin our first international joint venture partnership with Goodbaby in China
Gurgle.com – a social networking site for new mum’s and parents – is launched
- 2008
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Baby K is launched
- 2009
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We open our 1000th store across the group in Dubai
2010s
The decade of Peppa Pig and Chuggington, Micro Scooters and Aquadoodle, Breton stripes and chunky knits.
- 2010
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We launch Mini Club, a childrenswear range designed exclusively for Boots
We open our first store in Melbourne, Australia
- 2011
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We launch Blooming Marvellous
We go to South and Central America for the first time, opening in Chile, Columbia and Panama
Gurgle launches its first Magazine
New joint venture partnership launched with Ukraine