Baby & parent products retailer Mothercare has announced today a new partnership with Jools Oliver, the wife of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
As part of the deal, the famous mother will be launching a whole range of clothing, nursery bedding and accessories through the high street brand, with the products set to hit the shelves on August 17th 2012.
The goods will be aimed at newborns and children up to the age of five, with the style of the range said by Mothercare to be influenced by Oliver‘s love of “nostalgic yet modern collectables”.
Oliver commented: “I have such a passion for the design of children‘s clothes, so to have this opportunity to work with Mothercare is just amazing. My mother dressed us in Mothercare clothes and I have done the same with my children, so Mothercare has always been part of my life.
“My designs combine both quirky and classic style inspired by my childhood memories. The collection features nostalgic, classic pieces, sprinkled with unique touches and playful attention to detail. The entire collection has been lovingly put together and accessibly priced for parents. I can‘t wait to launch it.”
Reflecting on poor sales during its third quarter period, Alan Parker, Chairman of Mothercare, said that he expected the retailer‘s new strategy, which focuses on multichannel trading, to improve its performance this year.
If successful this new campaign fronted by Oliver will give a much needed boost to the company, which recorded a three per cent fall in like-for-like trading in Q3 and posted a loss of £81.4 million over the first half of its financial year.
Commenting on the Oliver range Parker said: “For the past 50 years Mothercare has stood for a modern approach to traditional family values and we believe this complements all that Jools Oliver stands for.
“The new range offers exceptional quality and affordable style and reflects what our customers tell us they want from the Mothercare brand.”
Jamie Oliver ended his own retail endorsement, which ran for more than a decade, with Sainsbury‘s last year.
