From this date, Frugi‘s internal Commercial team will oversee all wholesale operations for this region, rather than a third party partner. Frugi’s Commercial Director, Simon Dowling says, “As we start the process of transitioning the German operations in-house, we are looking forward to guiding our German partners through some new and exciting developments for the company. “ Dowling will be responsible for overseeing the transition and re-integration of Frugi’s German business and will assume the role as Interim ‘Geschäftsführer – Germany’.

Frugi is actively recruiting for a Brand Sales Team based in Germany to represent Frugi and work closely with the customer base. “We are proud to have a wide and loyal customer base in Germany, which includes some large scale strategic accounts with strong sustainable strategies and a large number of wonderful independents who believe that brands can be beautiful, fun and also sustainable. As Frugi moves towards a more digitally led approach we want to make it increasingly easier for customers to work together with us,” says Simon Dowling.
  
Known for its fun, colourful organic cotton clothing and recycled plastic outerwear, Cornish children’s wear brand Frugi has successfully navigated the Covid-19 crisis with some significant milestones for the business. As Frugi celebrates its 16th Birthday, winning two 2020 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, and a 300% increase in their TotsBots reusable nappy business, the company’s sunny brand position remains optimistic.

Sweet 16th Birthday
Sixteen years ago, on June 1st, Frugi was born in a tiny Cornish cottage belonging to Lucy and Kurt Jewson who were on a mission to find beautiful, ethical clothing that would fit over their baby son’s cloth-nappied bum. Fast forward to today, and Frugi is the UK’s leading organic children’s clothing brand found in over 500 retailers, 30 countries and online at www.welovefrugi.com. With Germany being Frugi’s second largest market, they have developed a wide and loyal customer base of over 200 accounts including Zalando, BabyWalz, MAAS Natur, Hans Natur and Hug&Grow and Dodenhof.

Two Queen’s Awards
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses, recognising and encouraging outstanding achievements. Frugi has swooped up not one, but two awards this year - the Sustainable Development Award and the International Trade Award - bestowing a major nod for their continuous efforts in global sustainability. Frugi was one of only four companies to be awarded two Queen’s awards, and the only company to be awarded in both these categories, confirming Frugi’s outstanding commitment to trading globally as ethically and sustainably as possible.

Navigating the Covid-19 Storm
At the start of lockdown, CEO Hugo Adams’ main priority was – and continues to be - the health and safety of all its staff. Like many retailers, when the lockdown was announced, Frugi was hit with an almost total reduction in their wholesale business almost overnight. Nevertheless, sales from the company website significantly increased. Frugi’s warehouses in Helston, Cornwall, and the Netherlands continued to operate with rigorous Government guidelines.

After the health and safety of its employees, Adams’ second priority was to ensure the survival of the business. Frugi employs 105 staff and TotsBots has 75 in the UK and various actions were taken in mid-March to minimise any damage. Frugi acted fast to realign production to keep factories operating and prevent cancelations with suppliers. Key staff worked tirelessly to repurpose fabric, rephase product ranges and quickly adapt to the new normal, even using virtual tours of its overseas factories to ensure that production kept moving off factory lines.

Other measures included senior staff taking a voluntary 30 % reduction in salary, the furloughing of 40 staff, and a complete freeze to the marketing budget, all non-essential capital expenditure and new recruitment.

Sales in the Time of Lockdown
During lockdown, analytics showed that Frugi customers spent more time on the site by browsing not only the new collections but also the additional content on offer, such as free downloadable games and puzzles to entertain children at home.

Even with extreme lockdown measures in place, children keep growing, and babies keep being born. With many bricks and mortar retailers closed, newborn baby clothing and leisure wear items have seen sales soar online with a 50% increase on the year. In May, with temperatures reaching record highs, children’s swimwear sales have spiked and with the forecast of an imminent baby boom, Frugi are anticipating growth in sales for their organic Bloom maternity range. But by far the most outstanding performance throughout the last three months has been Frugi’s reusable nappy business TotsBots, which experienced an incredible 300 % increase on the year as parents struggled to buy disposables nappies and looked to reusables as a safe solution. Reusable nappies not only save money in the long term, but they cut down significantly on landfill waste. This unexpected benefit due to lockdown panic buying has moved Frugi to expand production on TotsBots as many parents make the switch a permanent buying option, saving not only their wallet but the environment as well.

Return to a New Normal
Dealing with a few remaining challenges and some difficult decisions, Frugi is realigning their departments and teams to the new normal work environment. Regaining all German wholesale operations and the way Frugi sells and communicates with customers are two areas of change. The use of technology has progressed to a new level of flexible with their ethical and organic credentials more relevant today than ever. Their three-year strategy has escalated, and the company is moving faster to develop the business at a more rapid pace. The Frugi company website is being redesigned to relaunch in Autumn, with significant enhancements in content, customer service and the integration of new technology. And now in June, most staff are being gradually brought back from furlough to work from home in part-time or full-time roles.

CEO Hugo Adams says, “We are relieved and grateful that Frugi has come out of lockdown in a healthy and stable financial position. Thanks to our remarkable, dedicated staff, we are committed to moving on from this unprecedented crisis by remaining vigilant, prudent and mindful of our planet.”