Lovefilm boss Calver takes the helm at Mothercare

The boss of internet movie rental firm Lovefilm was yesterday unveiled as the new chief executive of struggling Mothercare.

Simon Calver will join the chain on 30 April after seven years at the helm of Amazon-owned Lovefilm, as the parenting group moves to boost its online presence in the UK.

The mothers-to-be, babies and children’s goods group, which runs some 350 stores in the UK, has suffered months of declining sales and has placed the UK business under review.

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Nick Bubb, an independent retailing analyst, said: “We can see that his e-commerce and branding experience will come in useful in exploiting the Mothercare and Early Learning brands.”

Calver, who has previously held senior management positions at Dell, Pepsi, Riverdeep and Unilever, said: “While there are near term challenges ahead, I am committed to the recovery of the UK business and the accelerated growth of these aspirational brands around the world.”

Former chief executive Ben Gordon stepped down last November amid a weakening profits outlook and tumbling share price.