Two local baby care and equipment stores have recently expanded to carry a larger selection of merchandise, partly to fill a gap left by recent retail closures.

Daisy & Mac owner Dawn Zuill said four major providers of maternity and baby?s wear and equipment have closed their doors, Trimingham Brothers, H.A.&E. Smith?s, Toys ?N? Stuff and New Additions, leaving expecting mums and toddlers with fewer choices.

Daisy & Mac, formerly Bears Repeating Too, is located on the upper level of the Washington Mall and Mrs Zuill, who took over the business from the previous owners in 2002, opened Daisy & Mac in October after the consignment business ended in July.

Daisy & Mac is brimming with new merchandise such as soft toys, strollers, high chairs, car seats, cribs, as well as basic clothing items.

?The new products we have are maternity clothing including nursing bras, breast pumps, and all the accessories that go along with being an expectant mother,? she said.

The store carries many of the brands and items offered by Toys ?N? Stuff including baby care items such as bottles, thermometers, plastic spoons, seating, cups, bowls, pacifiers, bath toys and accessories and toys such as Thomas The Tank Engine and Bob The Builder.

She said the store is trying to fill the void in the market and is in the closing stage of constructing a second warehouse to fill much needed storage requirements.

?The warehouse is needed to bring in bigger items such as outdoor play products and this store would not be able to facilitate them,? she said.

?One of the challenges is not so much having everything you need, its having a large enough brick and mortar space to create a pleasant environment to shop in.?

Gibbons Company, which opened its new children?s department on Church Street, said the need for more space to display its merchandise was the main reason for its expansion.

?The Gibbons Company decided that we needed to dedicate more space to our children?s business. We have always offered a full range of baby and children?s wear business and equipment,? Gibbons Company chief merchandising officer Paula Clarke said.

?Progressively over the years we have increased the size of our children?s wear department and this is the second move in under a year.?

On October 16, Gibbons Company opened its new department opposite the main bus terminal. It can also be accessed through the Reid Street entrance.

?The additional space allows us to show more product on the floor,? Ms Clarke said. ?We cater to mother?s needs from the time she becomes pregnant through setting up her nursery and providing all her baby clothes.

?We have expanded our selection and we are able to offer a much broader range of merchandise, price selection and style for all age groups from infant to boys fashion size 20 and girls fashion size 16 and we offer school uniforms which is a large part our business.?

She said the closures of Triminghams and Smith?s had no impact on the lines of merchandise Gibbons Company carried as the company has always been proud of having a strong line of baby equipment and children?s fashion for over ten years.

?We never felt Triminghams or Smith?s were real competition to our children?s business, as along with the clothing side of children?s wear we offer everything an expectant mother needs.?

Ms Clarke said a lot of business is generated from baby shower registers where friends and family get together before the birth of a child and help the expectant set up with feeding equipment, clothing, strollers, cribs, baby tub, and changing tables.