Allanah and Rob share a love of home interiors, colour, texture and visual inspiration. These interests, coupled with their complimentary career backgrounds prompted a natural progression of their partnership from a personal into a business dimension with the conception of Shakin' The Tree in September 2009.

Allanah began her retail career as a window dresser with Debenhams and developed her skills as an independent visual merchandising consultant bringing visual inspiration to a number of independent retail businesses across both the home and fashion sectors in the UK and internationally. She further extended her business experience with investments in residential properties that profited from her interior design input and expertise.

Rob began his own retail career with Debenhams and progressed through a number of sales operations and product buying roles at board level with Hamleys, Selfridges, House of Fraser and The Windsmoor Group, followed by a spell running his own retail consultancy practice. He then added wholesale distribution experience with Managing Director roles at Kenneth Turner and SIA Home Fashion before joining forces with Allanah in their dream of launching and establishing Shakin' The Tree as a retail brand.

Allanah and Rob embrace a business ethos driven by a shared passion for sourcing and selling home interior and giftware products of quality and value, and with a point of difference, in a welcoming and inspiring way.

The business name itself represents a view that the best fruit is at the top of the tree, and if you "shake the tree" you will be rewarded not only by great products but great service and advice delivered with warmth and a passion for consistency, repeat customer visits and relationship building.Shakin'The Tree is also a hit song from Peter Gabriel - one of Allanah's and Rob's favourite singers.

Following extensive research into potential locations, customer profiling and competitive analyses in the affluent and aspirational M4/A4 corridor, there appeared to be an opportunity for an independent home accessory and giftware retailer in Newbury, an attractive market town with an interesting past and an exciting future, benefitting from significant commercial investment and infrastructure improvements - not least with the planned opening in 2011 of the Parkway scheme that will combine the best of contemporary shops, restaurants and stylish apartments with significant car parking facilities for shoppers.