Eight years ago, I was pregnant for the first time and the prospect of going to buy my pram, choose my nursery furniture and figure out what else I would need was so exciting.  I worked in the world of PR at the time and had little inkling that embarking on something as habitual as baby shopping was to have such a life changing impact.

Think back to your first memories of reading a book and chances are that it was as a small child, cosying up to your mum, dad or close relative and brimming with anticipation of hearing your favourite story being re-told. And there are few of us who now, as parents, aren't secretly thrilled to have a second chance to revisit the classic books and stories of our childhood with our own children.

There is no doubt that the Nursery marketplace is a battleground. At the best of times it's a market in which there is a plethora of brands and strong competition for the consumer purse. As we enter this phase where ‘credit crunch' is on everyone's lips, the conflicts inevitably become even more tightly fought.

All my life people have come to me with their problems and issues.  Someone even nick-named me ‘Auntie Clare' at school once! So when it came to the career crunch, what was I going to be?  Nurse? Teacher?  Massage Therapist?  Counsellor?  Healer? 

Olivia, the daughter of Luisa and David Scacchetti is about to give birth to her first child. The family is thrilled. What greater gift can their be for this couple who have spent over twenty five years building one of the most successful companies in the industry on the joys of becoming a parent? Nursery Industry exclusively interviewed Luisa, the Grandmama-to-be in the weeks before the birth

The South West of England has plenty to offer from beautiful beaches to historic towns. Again and again business owners who have developed companies in Someret, Devon or Cornwall say the area helps provide a healthy work-life balance

The on-trend impulse of a new parent is to consider the more eco approach.  With a heightened sense of responsibility, parents start their environmental crusade with organic food, clothes and skincare (reducing their baby's exposure to unnecessary chemicals) and a move to more sustainable and traditional methods.

An intelligent and junk-free shop layout is key to attracting new customers and making sure they return time after time. Creating the right atmosphere and offering products to buyers in a way that is practical, requires careful planning and proper, regular maintenance. Here Luisa Scacchetti,  Founder of the ultra-successful Mamas and Papas nursery brand and retailer, talks about the importance of interior design as she prepares for the opening of a brand new outlet in Nottinghamshire

Customer Service is well recognised as key to the success of big stores to ensure customers are satisfied and keep coming back. But what about the smaller shops? How can an independent retailer with limited space and large overheads, hope to compete with such steep competition?

It is now well accepted practice for companies to have their products manufactured abroad. Frequently this decision is made based on reducing costs and little thought or attention is paid to the working conditions of the people actually making the products. Particularly smaller companies may well assume that there is very little that they can do to influence good practice in countries such as India and China. However this does not have to be the case. Frugi (Formerly Cut4Cloth), a small children's clothing company based in Cornwall, holds ethical manufacturing at the heart of its business. Nursery Industry went to talk to Kurt Jewson the company's co-founder to find out more.

Have you seen this week's Heat magazine? The one where the Very Famous Person shows off her new baby with the picturesque nursery in the background. Or did you see the picture of that footballer in the tabloids with the latest addition to his family in that expensive pushchair? Whatever your personal thoughts about celebrities, they sell magazines and newspapers. But do they help sell baby goods?