Mothercare is set to close 50 underperforming stores and six may be on the Shopper patch.

The closure of the mother-and-baby stores will result in hundreds of job losses.

Mothercare employs about 3,000 people across 137 outlets.

The process is being carried out through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).

As part of the restructuring, which also sees the re-hiring of chief executive Mark Newton Jones who was sacked just a weeks ago, Mothercare also announced a refinancing package worth up to £113.5 million.

It comprises £28 million through an equity capital raising, an extension of its existing debt to £67.5 million, £18 million in shareholder and trade partner loans.

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Shares in Mothercare shot up nearly 24 per cent following the announcement.

Chairman Clive Whiley said: "These comprehensive measures provide a renewed and stable financial structure for the business and will drive a step change in Mothercare's transformation.

"These measures provide a solid platform from which to reposition the group and begin to focus on growth, both in the UK and internationally."

Retailers across the board have been battered by weak consumer confidence off the back of soaring Brexit-fuelled inflation.

Since January, Toys R Us and Maplin have filed for administration while fashion retailers such as New Look and Select have embarked on radical store closure programmes.

The stores that could face closure are:

Orpington - Nugent Shopping Centre

Bromley High Street

Bexleyheath - Market Place

Dartford - Bluewater

Eltham High Street

Greenwich - Brocklebank Retail Park