Nursery products retailer Mothercare is to axe 50 stores with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

But the company, which has a branch at Great Northern Retail Park in Huddersfield, said it would not be disclosing which stores are facing closure at this time.

Mothercare also said it was re-hiring the chief executive it sacked just weeks ago as part of a wide-ranging shake-up.

The store closures will be carried out through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) – a move which allows companies to close loss-making shops and secure rental discounts.

Mothercare employs about 3,000 people across 137 outlets. As well as the Huddersfield store, it has branches in Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds

Mark Newton Jones, who was given the boot as chief executive last month, will return to the company and once again take the top job. David Wood, the man brought in to replace him, will now become managing director.

As part of the restructuring Mothercare also announced a refinancing package worth up to £113.5m.

The shake-up follows a brutal set of annual results showing that Mothercare made a £72.8m pre-tax loss in the year to March 24. That compares with a £7.1m profit the previous year. In the UK, losses swelled from £9.7, to £79.4m.

Mothercare is the latest retailers to be hit by weak consumer confidence and soaring costs following the latest business rates revaluation.

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