Not On The High Street

A Richmond-based online marketplace that gathers products from thousands of small UK creative businesses so shoppers can buy gifts from many makers in one place.

About Not On The High Street

Not On The High Street, often shortened to NOTHS, is an online marketplace for gifts and homeware made or designed by small British businesses. Shoppers can buy from many different sellers in one basket, while each seller, which the company calls a partner, makes or sends out its own products. It calls itself a curated marketplace: small businesses apply, and in a 2014 interview its founder said around 80% of applicants were turned away, because the brand had to "really stand for something".

The business was started by two women, Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, who moved into offices in Sheen, Richmond, in January 2006 before the site opened. Holly Tucker later became the sole leader, with Sophie Cornish staying on the board. Ms Tucker has been made an MBE for services to business. In the interview she described the aim as helping create British businesses, and the company has said it wants to find and nurture small creative talent. We did not find a formal mission statement in the pages we read.

NOTHS says its headquarters is in Richmond upon Thames in south-west London, and a 2016 article describes events held at that building. A 2014 article said it also had a team in Berlin, which supported a German-language site. In 2016 it said it worked with about 5,000 creative businesses across the UK. Those numbers are old, so the best idea is to read the current figures on the company's own website. It has held Pitch Up days where hopeful sellers present their products to company experts, and Start Up days with advice on money, legal basics and product photography.

As for culture, the same 2014 interview described a close partnership between the two founders, a focus on quality over volume, a habit of learning from early mistakes and a strong interest in telling the brand's story in the press. Employee number three was the founder's sister. Those are the founders' own descriptions. The company's later chief executive, Simon Belsham, said in 2016 that the UK creative small-business sector contributes £84 billion a year to the economy, which gives a sense of how the company sees its role.

Running a marketplace needs a wide mix of staff. There are partner and seller managers who help small businesses join and grow, curators and buyers who choose products, photographers and content creators, marketing and social media people, customer service teams, and developers and data analysts who keep the site running. It is a route into creative commerce for people who like both design and shopping. The company's own site is the place to see what is open.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Small UK creative businesses apply to sell, and shoppers buy from several in one basket.', 'title': 'Curated marketplace'}
• {'desc': 'Events such as Pitch Up and Start Up that offer advice on products, money and marketing.', 'title': 'Partner support'}
• {'desc': 'Personalised and handmade products from independent British makers.', 'title': 'Gifts and homeware'}

Key facts

• Founded by Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish; offices in Sheen, Richmond from January 2006
• Headquarters in Richmond upon Thames (2016 article)
• About 5,000 small creative business partners in 2016 (dated)
• Turned away about 80% of seller applicants, per a 2014 interview (dated)

Website: www.notonthehighstreet.com