Growth comes naturally for baby brand
LEICESTER-based baby brand, Nature’s Purest is celebrating its tenth anniversary with ambitious plans to open ten stores across the UK within the next decade.
The brand – which specialises in designing and manufacturing naturally coloured cotton products for babies – has this year launched a new website and a store in Market Harborough as part of the business’ ongoing growth.
Assistant managing director and operations manager Lois Winfield said: “It’s gone from wholesaling to 34 customers when I joined nine years ago, to over 234 now in the UK plus the international business.”
The global brand – which now has five UK stores, shops in Brazil and China, stockists in nearly 50 countries, and its own factory in Sri Lanka – sells everything from bedding and bathrobes to baby milestones and nursery decorations, all made from naturally coloured cotton.
The owner, Jane Albon first cottoned onto the idea after having her daughter and being unable to find anything suitable. Having discovered natural coloured cotton in China, Jane saw a gap in the market for baby products with no chemicals, pesticides or dyes.
Lois added: “Children in general have sensitive skin so it’s nice to use a textile that you know hasn’t got chemicals in it, because the skin is very absorbent.
“Jane always uses the simile of nicotine patches on the skin – people put those on and the skin absorbs that for people trying to stop smoking, in the same way if you buy clothing with a lot of chemicals in, your baby’s skin will absorb those chemicals. It’s nice to offer a nice neutral, natural fabric for babies giving them the best start in life which is what we try to do.”
In its decade of trading, Nature’s Purest ‘seed to shelf’ method has seen the company win 21 awards including a mother and baby gold award, loved by parents awards and most importantly, loved by children awards as well. This month, Nature’s Purest won best independent gift retailer in the UK.
With expansion on the horizon for the brand, the award-winning products will soon arrive in Chester and various other locations across the UK which have yet to be decided.
Lois said: “We are building these organically at the moment, so as one opens and its self-supporting then we’re free to move onto the next one,
“We’re hoping to offer our products across the UK as it’s important that for customers, especially parents to know where the products come from and what they’re made of and that they’re sustainable – that’s the gap in the market that we’re looking to fill.”
