A fast-growing raw pet food specialist is to open its fifth retail unit just months after snapping up a fourth location in record time.

Nurturing by Nature, which began life in founder Nettie Platt’s kitchen 19 years ago, is about to sign a lease on a new shop in Charminster, Bournemouth.

The 50 square metre outlet is expected to open at the end of July.

It will join Nurturing by Nature’s other shops at Upton, Pamphill, West Moors and Christchurch.

The latest – at 181 Barrack Road, Christchurch – was only launched after a sharp-eyed member of the senior team noticed a ‘To Let’ sign on raw pet food shop, Calm Down Dawg.

Adam Morris, Managing Director, pictured left, said: “Our Operations Director, Sue Sharp, won Team Member of the Month and was using the voucher we’d given her to get a takeaway.

“She phoned us on a Sunday night and said: ‘Do you want to check this shop on Barrack Road because it’s got the ‘To Let’ sign up?’

“The next day we were in a business meeting with our accountants and financial director before driving past the shop for ourselves.

“We had a meeting with the owner [Will Kay] on the Tuesday, filled the shop with our stock the following day and moved in officially the next Monday.

“We are a business that can adapt and overcome challenges.

“To be able to open a shop in under a week without any issues is a pretty good achievement.

“Our mission as a business is to create our very best raw diet and deliver it to our community with exceptional customer service.

“We understand that not everybody likes shopping online.

“Having more outlets that are closer to people’s homes, we can become everything to everyone really.”

Fellow Director Emma Platt, pictured left, Nettie’s daughter who is also married to Adam, said: “It was a really easy transition.

“Tanya [Wilson] who runs the shop is very passionate and all the customers love her.

“I asked Tanya if she’d stay and she said: ‘I love my job and I’m heartbroken that I’m leaving and would love to stay.’

“We took Tanya on but we wouldn’t have been able to do all this without our teams lending their support.”

Adam said: “There has been steady trading since we moved in.

“The biggest challenge is to get our message out about who we are as a brand.

“This is the busiest road in Bournemouth and Christchurch and is the ideal opportunity for us.

“Numbers have increased and we’ve gained new customers.”

Upton-based Nurturing by Nature began life in 2004 after its founder Nettie’s red boxer, Fred, developed cancer.

The answer was a raw food diet with Fred’s quality of life showing a visible improvement.

The business moved from Nettie’s kitchen to a conservatory and then garage before the opening of its West Moors store, the country’s first dedicated raw pet food shop.

Nurturing by Nature now has the four retail shops, two factory units in Upton and a nationwide, next day, delivery service as well as a thriving online business.

The family business aims to give domestic pets – both cats and dogs – a diet which is more akin to what they would eat if they were fending for themselves in the wild.

Six new team members have joined the business in just the last month bringing the total number of staff, full and part-time, to more than 40.

Adam said: “Our bank manager said he’s never come across a business that covers the whole spectrum, from sourcing right through to retail.

“Our footfall numbers are up about ten per cent on last year and we’re looking to expand in the future.

“The future is whatever we want it to be.”

Nettie, who is also a Director, said: “It’s great fun, especially if you get a telephone call that says ‘is it OK if we take over another shop?’

“I said: ‘yes, no problem, when? Wednesday was the reply – and that was on the Monday!  Quite amazing.

“But I’m very proud of these two [Adam and Emma}, and the whole team.

“They are all awesome.”

• nurturingbynature.co.uk