MOTHERCARE, the High street retailer, is revamping its image to make it more appealing to modern fathers as a survey reveals that 70% of fathers would give up work to stay at home with their young children if they could afford to.

The chain, which sells clothing, hardware and toys for pre-school children, is also to feature a man on the cover of its mail order catalogue for the first time.

For decades the company, whose 16 Scottish stores include five in the Glasgow area and two in Edinburgh, has been associated mainly with new mothers and pregnant women - as its name suggests.

The popular conception has been that new fathers preferred to wait outside or find an excuse not to go shopping for nappies, breast pumps or children's clothes.

However, Mothercare believes there has been a marked shift in attitude towards fatherhood among men as a result of high-profile new fathers such as Tony Blair and David Beckham who are seen to take an active part in raising their children.