Bracknell based nursery retailer, Natural Baby Shower, are currently celebrating their 17th birthday and reflecting on their 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 the very best natural, sustainable and premium baby products all under one roof, something that at the time, wasn’t available in the UK nursery retail industry.
They started their business from their kitchen table, a team of two passionate parents and a commitment to providing products that are always best for baby, best for parent and best for planet. 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 that has an onsite warehouse and complies with the BREEAM standard in sustainable building design.
In 2015, NBS opened its very own stunning store in Bagshot which is to this day, home to an array of baby and parenting essentials. Their store is the perfect hub to showcase products and offer a premium shopping experience with their 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. They also have an innovative video call service that 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 are proud to look back on this time and how they coped with these challenges. They came out the other side and achieved a 70% growth rate during this time, which just shows their ability to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity. They knew that they still had a duty to parents, new and expecting during this time who were feeling trapped, isolated and scared without support from others. Natural Baby Shower were able to still provide that place of support and comfort.
“I am beyond proud of what the NBS family has achieved in the last 17 years. In many ways, our children and our businesses have a lot in common”
Natural Baby Shower have so much to be proud of from 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.
Their commitment to minimising their carbon footprint and their continued support of local charities and initiatives is what makes NBS so much more than just a retailer. They frequently donate to and work with charities such as Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, Stripey Stork and Barnardo’s.
When reflecting on Natural Baby Shower’s 17th birthday, 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 businesses 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 our attention and focus, and they sometimes 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.”
Happy Birthday Natural Baby Shower and here’s to the many more years to come.
