Mothercare acquires social media site

The global parenting retailer, which already has a stake in the site, has bought the remaining share of the business held by Fleming Media.

Gurgle.com is aiming to become the leading information and social media brand in the UK pregnancy and parenting sector, while also growing its profile in international markets. It competes with other social networking sites targeting the same demographic, such as mumsnet.com.

Further integration opportunities will be created between the site and Mothercare, though it will maintain its independent voice.

It will also be leveraging the opportunity for greater reach of its target audience of mothers and parents-to-be through Mothercare, offering advertisers additional ways to communicate with consumers.

Jeremy Maxwell, Mothercare direct channels director, says: “Gurgle.com has grown rapidly, with around 300,000 unique visitors per month and over 100,000 members who already ‘gurgle’ with each other.

“With the full backing of Mothercare gurgle.com now has the opportunity to increase its reach dramatically, to invest in new site functionality, and to provide its users with an even more engaging experience.”