Nikki Watten
Nom Wholefoods in Staple Hill has been named as one of the nation’s 100 most impressive small firms by the Small Business Saturday UK campaign.
The refill shop, which helps customers reduce their plastic waste by providing loose food and cleaning and bathroom products, was founded by Nikki Watten in 2019.
Her firm has been selected as part of this year’s SmallBiz100 line-up, which showcases 100 of the most impressive independent businesses from across the nation as part of the countdown to Small Business Saturday on 7th December.
Running for more than a decade, Small Business Saturday is the UK’s most successful small business campaign, which takes place each year on the first weekend in December, celebrating small businesses and encouraging consumers to ‘shop local’.
Nom Wholefoods opened in 2021 but started life as zero waste delivery service from Nikki’s home a mile away in Fishponds three years earlier.
Over the years she and her husband Matt had become more interested in reducing the amount of plastic they used at the same time as sourcing more ethically grown food.
She says that along with many other people in the country, they were horrified watching the landmark David Attenborough documentary Blue Planet II which highlighted the amount of waste, especially plastic, that is in our oceans.
The couple found themselves travelling to refill shops in other parts of Bristol so they could reuse their packaging. They wanted easier access to buying their food and cleaning and bathroom products without single use packaging, and chatting to local friends found they wanted the same thing.
They decided to test the market by starting as a local zero waste delivery service. The business started just a few months before lockdown which meant they became very busy very quickly delivering in paper bags and jars to the local community who were stuck at home during lockdown. They were one of the few places that could get hold of flour and toilet roll at the time.
It wasn’t long before they ran out of space at home and many customers mentioned that they would love a high street shop to visit.
Nikki opened her shop in Broad Street in Staple Hill in November 2021 and it is thriving, with customers coming from all over East Bristol and South Gloucestershire to fill up on their cupboard essentials, green cleaning materials and natural bathroom products. Online national delivery continues which is free with orders over £25.
Nikki says she is “over the moon” to be included in the SmallBiz100 line-up. She added: “Small Business Saturday coincides with our community event, Christmas on the Hill, which makes for a fantastic day to be shopping local and supporting local businesses in Staple Hill.”
Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK, said: “It’s great to celebrate Nom Wholefoods as part of this year’s campaign. This year’s SmallBiz100 list shows the huge contribution small businesses make to their communities and the wider UK economy.
“Despite the economy turning a corner, the nation’s small businesses continue to feel the fallout of a challenging few years and still need significant support to get back on their feet.
“Small Business Saturday is all about getting the nation to come out in force and show its love for our local businesses.”
