Mothercare says international targets will be 'a challenge' UK revenue fell 8.3pc during the first half of the financial year, ending October 13, while like-for-like UK sales, which strip out the effect of recent shop closures, were down 3.4pc, according to a trading update this morning. But the company pointed out that like-for-like UK sales over the last 13 weeks saw a tentative return to growth, rising 0.3pc. International sales climbed 10.8pc over the first half of the year but the eurozone crisis continued to put pressure on shoppers. A growth target of 20pc would now be "a challenge" to meet, said chief executive Simon Calver, who joined Mothercare from Lovefilm in April and quickly announced a "ruthless" three-year turnaround plan involving price cuts and 100 store closures "Our strategy outlined in May this year is showing early signs of progress," he said. In the UK, we have put the customer back at the heart of what we do. This is already beginning to have a beneficial impact on like-for-like sales, which along with our online business have returned to growth. International continues to grow despite difficult trading conditions in the eurozone and adverse currency movements. We recognise that our most important quarter which includes Christmas is still ahead of us. We are confident about delivering against the targets we set out in our three-year plan.