Mamas and Papas reports record Black Friday sales

Mamas and Papas has reported its strongest Black Friday trading period on record, with UK retail sales rising 10% in the five weeks to 30 November.  

The increase covered stores, concessions and online sales, with growth led by nursery furniture and travel systems. Furniture sales rose 13%, while travel systems were up 11% over the period.

The company said its newly launched Ocarro 2 pushchair performed ahead of internal expectations, contributing to the overall uplift in sales.

Mamas and Papas operates 22 standalone UK stores alongside 42 concessions with Marks and Spencer and Next. It said sales in its expanded toys and gifts category continued to build in the run-up to Christmas.

Sarah Ashby, chief operating officer and interim chief executive officer of Mamas and Papas, said: “We saw record footfall in our store estate and online over the period as customers shopped our discounts, with record conversion rates. We also booked our highest ever number of Buying for Baby personal shopping experiences, with customers looking for expert, tailored advice on their big purchases from our experienced store colleagues.

“The shape of our sales performance changed this year, with more customers seemingly waiting for the big deals to land. This led to a slightly softer pre- and post-Black Friday trading period. Demand and conversion when our deals went live was the highest we’ve seen as customers bought into the Mamas and Papas brand and our curated range of third party nursery brands.”

The retailer said it achieved a 22% share of the UK baby and nursery market in November, citing data from market research firm GfK.