A WINCHESTER baby care firm is on the move after winning an award increased demand for its products.

Olivers Babycare, which has been based in Oliver's Battery for 14 years, has had to relocate to larger premises in Devon after winning the Best Small Business Website at the Hants Web Awards last year created a boom.

The online company gained a large number of customers after scooping the award last September and owners Julie Baughan and her partner Nick Coombes, realised they needed to move to a bigger premises.

Co-founder and partner, Ms Baughan, said: "Winning the award was a major feather in our cap. It was great to get this recognition. We started to get a lot more customers and we realised we needed to move to bigger premises to cope with the demand.

"We looked in the Winchester area but couldn't find what we wanted. Then on a chance visit to North Devon to see some friends, we fell in love with the area and found an idyllic spot where we could combine family and business. So now we look out from our desks over rolling countryside, and we can watch the buzzards and the deer. We've all settled into our new home and hope that we can now provide an even better service for our customers."

The company is keeping its shop in Oliver's Battery, which employs four staff.

Olivers Babycare is a family business, run by Ms Baughan and her partner Mr Coombes, with help from their elder daughter Emily Coombes.

They set up the company in 1993, when their second child, Laura, was born two months early. They were so frustrated at being unable to buy any baby clothes and equipment in Winchester that they set up their own shop.

Seven years later, the couple discovered a huge market for online baby goods and took their business online.

Ms Baughan said: "When you have a baby or small child, or if you are pregnant, getting out to the shops can be difficult. It made a lot of sense to provide a website where people could get top quality baby goods, in a wide range of brands, without having to leave the house. We are delighted to be able to provide a service that can make parents' lives easier and allow them to enjoy their babies to the full."

For more information on the company and its products visit www.olivers-baby-care.co.uk.

6:18pm Thursday 13th March 2008

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