A maternity fashion brand worn by the Duchess of Cambridge has warned it will miss its sales target this year amid a plunge in births during the pandemic. 

Seraphine, which is also popular with supermodels including Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer, said it is now being forced to shut a store in New York as it battles rising costs owing to supply chain chaos and soaring inflation.

It comes after official figures that revealed births dropped to a record low of 681,560 as the pandemic gripped the country. The number of deaths was the highest in over a century in 2020, according to the most recent data available.   

Meanwhile, the fertility rate in the UK plunged to a record low of 1.6 per woman in 2020 amid unprecedented uncertainty for families. 

Seraphine denied the sales hit was linked to a decline in birth rates and instead blamed the weaker demand for its clothing in February, which it said was traditionally a quiet month for the business.

It added that it had also grappled with higher shipping costs and was also forced to discount items more heavily after delays in stock being delivered during the summer.

The company said it will now close its store on Madison Avenue in New York to shore up costs.

Shares in the company, which trades under the stock market ticker BUMP, fell by two thirds to 67p, leaving it worth just over £100m. They were worth 285p when Seraphine listed last July.