Mothercare appoints Mark Newton-Jones as interim chief executive

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Mothercare has appointed a new interim chief executive after former boss Simon Calver resigned unexpectedly last month.

Former Shop Direct boss Mark Newton-Jones will join the business as interim chief executive, as a search for a permanent replacement continues.

It is not the first time the company has made a senior appointment on an interim basis, and does not mean Newton-Jones will be given the job permanently.

Dominic Lavelle was made interim chief financial officer before former Argos CFO Matt Smith got the job permanently last year.

Mothercare declined to reveal how much the new boss – a father of two teenage children — will be paid, but Calver was on a base salary of £500,000 a year.

Calver left last month after a shock profit warning at Christmas, after heavy discounting in December across its ranges — including the Little Bird Clothing range by Jools Oliver — saw profits tumble.

Newton-Jones ran Shop Direct, which includes very.co.uk and littlewoods.com, for nearly a decade.