Celebrity favourite sets up shop in Rochdale

Posted by on 15 Aug 2017

A children’s furniture supplier is celebrating after creating the largest nursery furniture showroom in the UK in the heart of Rochdale.

Conrad and Victoria Parrott set up Adorable Tots seven years ago after spotting a gap in the market for high-end children’s furniture. The enterprising pair started out online, before moving into Hope Mill in Manchester.

But after quickly building a celebrity client base, which includes top premier league footballers and reality TV star Amy Childs, the couple wanted to expand and decided that an old cotton mill in Rochdale was just the ticket.

They have since spent more than £200,000 transforming the three-storey, 14,000 square feet property in Plattings Lane into a luxurious showroom packed full of children’s furniture, prams, cots and high chairs.

And the couple celebrated the rich history of the 143-year-old building during the restoration by exposing beams on the upper floor which had been hidden for 50 years.

Victoria said: “We’ve created a real destination store here in Rochdale. It’s got everything we need; lots of space, real character and parking. As soon as we saw this place, we knew it was right.

“Rochdale’s motorway links are also invaluable to us because our customers come from far and wide. We’ve had shoppers here from London, Scotland and the Midlands.”

The company, which also supplies House of Fraser, has also taken advantage of the expertise provided by Rochdale’s dedicated Business Growth Hub advisor, Richard Perkins, who is part-funded by the council, to expand even further.

Conrad said: “We’ve had great support from the Business Growth Hub, which is free to access. It’s really helpful to have somebody looking at your business from the outside, and they can put you in touch with people who are experts in certain areas, like digital.

“We already employ five people, including two apprentices we got through Rochdale Training, but I can see us doubling our workforce over the next few years.”

Council Leader, Councillor Richard Farnell, said: “Adorable Tots may supply goods for small people, but they’ve got big ambitions. I’m proud that Conrad and Victoria have decided that Rochdale is the place they want to base their business as they embark on this next exciting chapter. They already supply one of the country’s biggest department stores and have a list of celebrity clients, so I can’t wait to see where they go from here.”

Businesses which would like to find out more about free support services which are available in Rochdale, including advice on locations, growth and coming to the borough for the first time, can visit: investinrochdale.co.uk

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit: businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This and other Business Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester.