Wild Roots grows in KINGLAND

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Wild Roots, the houseplant and homeware store in Poole’s independent heartland, has expanded into the next door unit, doubling its store size following strong business performance since opening in 2020.

 

Wild Roots will occupy 1,740 square feet in KINGLAND once its expansion works are complete. The refurbished store is due to open at the end of October 2024.

 

The extended space will allow Wild Roots to host workshops for the local community, engaging locals in the art of terrarium and festive wreath making for example. The remaining shop floor space will allow for increased stockholding, delivering a wider variety of plant and lifestyle products for shoppers.

 

Hope Dean, owner of the store, said: “I am so thankful for the loyalty the local community has shown me since I opened the door to Wild Roots just over four years ago.

 

“I can’t wait to unveil our expansion and share our new events space. I am currently working on a workshop programme to include some free community events.”

 

Hope started her business after being made redundant in the pandemic. Wild Roots was one of the first independent retailers to open after the regeneration of KINGLAND Crescent, delivered by Legal & General with investment from partners such as Nest pensions. Through the partnership with Legal & General, around 130,000 people in the Poole district who have a pension with Nest, have contributed to the rejuvenation of the high street.

 

Hope added: “I pay into a Nest pension myself and am a Nest employer, but I had no idea that my pension is invested in local assets such as KINGLAND. This means that in a way myself and my team are reinvesting in our business and so are everyday people in the community. I am thankful to Legal & General and its partners such as Nest. Without the support I gratefully received, I couldn’t have opened the store and made my dream a reality.”

 

Poole’s KINGLAND Crescent was regenerated in 2020 as part of an ambitious and unique initiative by Legal & General. The scheme has provided opportunities and support for some of the county’s most innovative entrepreneurs. The original businesses at KINGLAND benefitted from no rent or business rates for the first two years of the scheme. Legal & General was the first to create an initiative of this kind in the country and partnered with organisations such as Nest pensions to help fund the regeneration project.

 

Hope said: “I am so proud of what I have achieved in my first four years of business and am so grateful to already be expanding the store. I always dreamed of owning a shop and the KINGLAND scheme has enabled me to take the business further than I could have ever imagined. Being able to employ my mum and work so closely together has been the cherry on top of the last four years. I can’t wait to see where Wild Roots will go next!”

 

Wild Roots is located at 18 Kingland Crescent, Poole. The store is open seven days a week and stocks a wide variety of houseplants, unique plant pots, and vibrant homeware. For more information, please visit www.wildrootsgreenery.co.uk .