MAJOR retailer Mothercare has announced it will be closing its Bromsgrove branch next month.

The firm, which sells goods for mothers-to-be, babies and children, has been in the town's High Street for decades.

Rumours have circulated for a while that the Bromsgrove store could be closing, particularly as nationally the chain has struggled and is the process of closing hundreds of stores.

The town store, based at 138 High Street, is to close on Wednesday, March 19.

A Mothercare spokesman said: "We thank all our customers in Bromsgrove for their loyalty and support for Mothercare.

"Whilst we deeply regret the closure of the store it is part of a larger transformation plan for our business.

"The plan will see us close a small number of our unprofitable stores across the UK whilst investing in cutting edge online and mobile shopping channels, as well as refurbishing some of our other larger stores to make the experience even better for our customers.

"We will be emailing our customers in the Bromsgrove area to advise of the changes."

The spokesman made no comment on the number of redundancies.

The Bromsgrove branch of the national baby products retailer has been open for more than 40 years, serving generations of new mothers.