About Us

History

Early Learning Centre was established in 1974 as a mail order company selling toys to inspire and stimulate children to develop as they play. Between 1985 and 2004 Early Learning Centre changed owership three times and was eventually acquired by Mothercare in June 2007 in a deal described as 'a match made in heaven' by the City analysts and the UK Press.

Stores

Early Learning Centre now has over 200 stand alone stores in the UK, an additional 25 shop within shops at larger Mothercare stores (with more opening) and 115 stores internationally operated by our franchise partners in locations including Hong Kong, Austrailia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia and some closer to home like Gibraltar and Ireland.

Direct

Early Learning Centre started life as a mail order business and direct sales through the Internet and catalogues have reamined a core part of the business. The website www.elc.co.uk was first launched in 1999 and proved such a success that it achieved full profitability in its first year and won New Media Age Best Retail Website in 2003. The website was relaunched in October 2005 with easier navigation, more in-depth information and a new fresh engaging look. Early Learning Centre also prints and distributes over 4 million catalogues in the UK each year.

The Early Learning Centre brand provides eight major categories of toys and games primarily for children in the 0-6 year age range through its stores in the UK and overseas, its catalogue and the internet. Over 80 percent of the products sold by Early Learning Centre are own brand, designed in its state of the art facility in Hong Kong.
Distribution has recently moved from Swindon to Daventry in the Midlands neighbouring the Mothercare National Distribution Centre and allowing the business to drive the improvements of value offered by more stock going to more stores.