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6 January 2011
Last updated at 03:18 ET
Mothercare has issued a profit warning after the winter weather hit its business.
Like-for-like sales in the last three months of 2010 fell 5.8% as the freezing conditions caused "widespread disruption".
Toy sales were hardest hit after the firm cut off Christmas online orders early to ensure delivery.
Meanwhile Clinton Cards said the weather had seen sales fall 2.1% in the last five weeks of the year.
It said "the impact of such adverse weather conditions" was "disappointing" and that full year profits would be "significantly lower" than market expectations.
However, there was better news from Majestic Wine, which thanked "loyal customers for battling through December's dreadful weather conditions" as it saw UK like-for-like sales growth - which strips out the impact of new stores - of 3.7% in the nine weeks to 3 January.
Weather 'victims' Mothercare said that the poor weather had reduced UK like-for-like sales in the third quarter by about 4%, and that its out-of-town shopping centres had particularly suffered from the disruption.
And it warned that annual gross profits from the UK would be 1% lower than the £41m previously stated, adding that the consumer environment remained "difficult".
However, the firm has continued to see strong growth in its international business where sales grew by 17.6% between September and January compared with same period a year earlier.
"Despite growing international sales, an already challenged UK business now forms another victim of the cold weather," said Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.
"The group's shift towards out-of-town premises appears to have worked against it, whilst like rival Next, the fragilities of time critical direct online Christmas sales have been exposed."
Earlier this week, Next said the December snow had cost it £22m in Christmas sales, but that profits remained on target.
And HMV blamed the bad weather as well as "challenging trading conditions" for a 10% fall in festive sales, and warned profits would be at the lower end of forecasts.
Online Business Consulting | Internet Business Consulting
Like-for-like sales in the last three months of 2010 fell 5.8% as the freezing conditions caused "widespread disruption".
Toy sales were hardest hit after the firm cut off Christmas online orders early to ensure delivery.
Meanwhile Clinton Cards said the weather had seen sales fall 2.1% in the last five weeks of the year.
It said "the impact of such adverse weather conditions" was "disappointing" and that full year profits would be "significantly lower" than market expectations.
However, there was better news from Majestic Wine, which thanked "loyal customers for battling through December's dreadful weather conditions" as it saw UK like-for-like sales growth - which strips out the impact of new stores - of 3.7% in the nine weeks to 3 January.
Weather 'victims' Mothercare said that the poor weather had reduced UK like-for-like sales in the third quarter by about 4%, and that its out-of-town shopping centres had particularly suffered from the disruption.
And it warned that annual gross profits from the UK would be 1% lower than the £41m previously stated, adding that the consumer environment remained "difficult".
However, the firm has continued to see strong growth in its international business where sales grew by 17.6% between September and January compared with same period a year earlier.
"Despite growing international sales, an already challenged UK business now forms another victim of the cold weather," said Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.
"The group's shift towards out-of-town premises appears to have worked against it, whilst like rival Next, the fragilities of time critical direct online Christmas sales have been exposed."
Earlier this week, Next said the December snow had cost it £22m in Christmas sales, but that profits remained on target.
And HMV blamed the bad weather as well as "challenging trading conditions" for a 10% fall in festive sales, and warned profits would be at the lower end of forecasts.
Online Business Consulting | Internet Business Consulting