Case Study: The Orange Tree

The Orange Tree is an independent lifestyle outlet, specialising in beautiful interiors and gifts for your home.

Established in Wanstead in the mid 1990s, the business was taken over by Rachel Root in 2007. She refurbished the shop and used her 16 years of experience in brand advertising to add high fashion to its range.

It worked, and The Orange Tree won a larger and more loyal following, as she explains:

“We offer so much more than merely a nice gift shop with a few interiors. We stock a wide range of home products including chandeliers, furniture, soft furnishings, wallpapers and curtains, and we have also recently branched into fashion accessories and clothing. Introducing the latter has helped to reinforce the fashion conscious direction that we’re taking with the interiors.”

The shops now attracts many younger shoppers, including parents and young couples – a real step change. But Rachel remains realistic about the challenges her market faces, and of the need for expert accounting advice.

That’s where THP has been invaluable. When Rachel set up her business, accounting wasn’t her key strength – as she readily admits. So she looked for professional advisors who could help her through the early hurdles like VAT returns and learning how to use SAGE accounting software.

She found THP on her doorstep and hasn’t looked back – we have the size and experience to help her as her business expands, but we still provide a warm and personal service:

“THP came highly recommended and have established an excellent local reputation. Personal recommendation was very important to me and they have lived up to my expectations!”

To find out more about The Orange Tree, please visit www.orangetreedirect.co.uk or call 0208 530 4621.