Shares in Mothercare were up on the FTSE 250 ahead of the retailer's second quarter trading statement.

In July the group said it was focusing on expanding internationally. The group said that in the first quarter its international sales rose 20.3 per cent while in the United Kingdom sales dropped 2.6 per cent.

Mothercare also said that it was making efforts to increase direct sales with its "Early Learning" website.

Keith Bowman, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said, "The pending update is likely to repeat similar trends, with the Asian region, like with so many businesses, proving a particular driver. Market consensus opinion currently denotes a hold ahead of the update, down from a strong hold stance as of the mid-May full year results."

By 15:25 shares in Mothercare were up 1.67 per cent on the FTSE 250 to 518.50 pence per share.

FTSE United Kingdom