An Ashby woman who started selling soaps after being made redundant has grabbed the attention of one of the UK's largest stores.

Stephanie Bishop started La Zouch Soaps four years ago - with a view to producing a sustainable product that reflected Ashby's National Forest surroundings.

The business was started at the time of the Covid pandemic, because Stephanie noticed 'people were washing their hands more' as a result.

Previously, the soaps had been little more than a hobby for her.

But now La Zouch Soaps is to have a pop-up space in John Lewis Nottingham during the last week of February, which is seen as a big move for the company.

Arranged via The Great Brand Exchange, La Zouch Soaps will be bringing its handmade, eco-friendly products to a much wider audience, something Stephanie hopes will drive growth.

She now has a range of home and body products after increasing her range after redundancy.

All of them are made in her studio in Ashby - with her love of nature to creating a growing range using different scents according to the season.

Stephanie said: "I started the business in 2020 with a dream to have my products stocked by a major retailer.

"So to be able to have a pop up in John Lewis is such a great feeling.

"It will be an incredible opportunity to talk to even more people about my products, and hopefully will lead to increased sales so I can grow my business even further this year."

La Zouch Soaps will be on the first floor of John Lewis Nottingham, by the womenswear department, from Monday, February 26, to Sunday, March 3.

Stephanie's products can also be found in Lil Bo's Deli and the Health Workshop in Ashby.

The Great Brand Exchange was founded in 2014 with two goals in mind. The first was to help small businesses grow and scale by giving them a route into retail.

And the second was to bring exciting, unique, local products to major retailers enabling them to offer something different alongside their big-name brands.

Since its inception, The Great Brand Exchange has generated an incredible £50 million in revenue for small businesses, shipped three million packages, managed 5,000 pop-up events and created an active network of 12,000 emerging brands.