Worthing: Parents owed hundreds by baby equipment shop

Couples placed orders worth up to almost £1,400 for items including car chairs and prams at Precious Little Things but were shocked to find the shop completely gutted and the owners uncontactable.

One couple said they are “heartbroken” to lose this money so soon before Christmas.

Parents tried contacting the owners but found the company's website taken down and its Facebook account not online before going to the shop to find it empty.

Precious Little Things in the Montague Centre, Worthing (Image: Supplied)

Expectant mother Emma Hurst, from Chichester, paid £849 for a car seat and pram on November 4.

She said: “There will be a lot of people out there who won’t be able to afford another push chair or car seat and their babies are coming imminently.

“I’m just really upset and angry that this has happened to people. It is really sad. I feel for people, I know how gutted I felt when I got to the shop.

“I called them because I hadn’t heard anything and I wanted to check when I could get my pram. It went straight to voicemail, I tried three times. It didn’t seem right.

“I saw all their social media accounts had been shut down, we drove over on Sunday morning and the whole shop was cleared out.

“I have had an email from a liquidation company saying they have started liquidation proceedings.”

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Some parents have been told by liquidator Quantuma that they are on the list of creditors owed money by the collapsed shop, which was in the Montague Centre, Worthing.

Quantuma confirmed to The Argus that the baby equipment shop ceased trading at the end of November and it was instructed to put the company into liquidation.

Companies House information shows Precious Little Things was owned by Clare Banbury and Marc Coxshaw, of Terringes Avenue, Worthing, who opened it in June 2021.

The company's accounts as of December 31, 2022, show it owed £163,167 to its creditors within the next 12 months. It also showed the company as having current assets of £118,018.

Ahmed Shaker and his partner Emily Blunden, both 30, are expecting their baby in February and forked out £950 for their £1,379 order, which was for a pram bundle and car seat.

Ahmed, from Patcham, said: “We were absolutely shocked, we couldn’t believe it. It was the last thing I expected.

“Me and my girlfriend are heartbroken. With all the cost of living pressures at the moment, it’s a lot of money to spend on a buggy. I want to make sure my baby is as safe as she can be. I wanted to get one of the best buggies.

“I don’t know how we will get another buggy now, it’s so close to Christmas. We will probably have to ask family and friends for help.

“We’re going to have to buy a new one, we didn’t pay by credit card so I don’t think we will get our money back.”

Ellise Rome from Shoreham is one of the parents left out of pocket (Image: Supplied)

Ellise Rome, 23, from Shoreham, is expecting her baby in January and paid £800 for a buggy.

She said: “It is a rush to get something else sorted. I saw a post about the shop on Facebook about it being entirely empty.

“I emailed them and got no response. You have Christmas coming up and your due date, it’s very stressful. I have so much to do and so much to pay out for.”

Worthing Borough Council confirmed it was not the landlord of the property.

The owners of Precious Little Things were approached for comment but did not respond.