Bracknell based nursery retailer, Natural Baby Shower, is celebrating its 17th birthday and reflecting on its years of successes and challenges in the industry.
Natural Baby Shower was founded by Victoria Hampson and Clifton Vaughan, born from inspiration during their travels in New Zealand, which is where they welcomed their first child.
They had a dream to create a place where parents could get natural, sustainable and premium baby products all under one roof, something that at the time, wasn’t available in the UK nursery retail industry.
17 years on, Natural Baby Shower has grown to a team of over 70, stocks over 140+ eco-friendly baby brands and has moved into a state-of-the-art, 43,000 sq ft HQ in Bracknell which has an on-site warehouse and complies with the BREEAM standard in sustainable building design.
In 2015, NBS opened its own store in Bagshot which is home to an array of baby and parenting essentials. The store is a hub to showcase products and offer a premium shopping experience with the team of experienced nursery specialists including walk-in or pre-booked specialist appointments to help answer any queries, from how to fit your car seat to what pushchair to buy.
The retailer also has a video call service which allows customers to call the store virtually through a one-way video call where they can get the advice they need from the comfort of their own home.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for NBS and all retailers know the difficulties faced during the years of the Coronavirus pandemic that started in 2019. However, the NBS team is proud to look back on this time and how it coped with these challenges.
The business achieved a 70% growth rate during this time, proving its ability to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity.
There has been a range of highlights over the last 17 years. From receiving a visit from The Mayor of Bracknell earlier this year, to reaching 100k Instagram followers, to achieving 20,000 5* Trustpilot reviews and winning various awards including Parenting Brand of the Year, Best Independent Retailer of the Year and Best Online Retailer in the 2024 Absolutely Mama Awards 2024.
The commitment to minimising its carbon footprint and its continued support of local charities and initiatives is what makes NBS more than just a retailer. The business frequently donates to and works with charities such as Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, Stripey Stork and Barnardo’s.
Founder Victoria Hampson commented: “I am beyond proud of what the NBS family has achieved in the last 17 years. In many ways, our children and our business have a lot in common. They both came from nothing but love, they both consume all our energy, they lead to sleepless nights, they demand every scrap of attention and focus and they something make us want to scream or give up. But then we get to watch them grow and we get to watch them thrive and one day, we get to take a step back and feel an overwhelming sense of pride and admiration for what they’ve become.”
