Organic clothes company answer 'Will Frugi shop in Helston reopen?'

The organic clothing company opened a dedicated store in Helston in January 2018, opposite its warehouse on the Water-ma-Trout industrial estate.

It was an expansion of the small rail of new range and sale clothes that had been in the reception area of its head office, meaning the company could offer a fuller range of each line in various sizes, where families living locally could try on the clothes before buying.

It also subsequently began offering the option for people to pick up orders placed online, to save on postage and delivery miles.

The shop closed its doors during the Covid pandemic lockdowns, and many had been waiting for it to reopen – but Frugi has now announced this will not be happening.

In a post on its Facebook page, the company said: "There has been lots of changes at Frugi during the events of the last couple of years, and this includes us changing buildings at HQ!

"The building that The Frugi Shop in Helston used to be in, is no longer occupied by Frugi. As we grow as a company, we need more and more room for all the lovely Frugi goodies in our warehouses, meaning we had to have a move around to accommodate this.

"This also means that, sadly, at this time there is no space for another shop.

Company founders Lucy and Kurt Jewson when the Helston shop opened in 2018

"We know this is very disappointing news, and hope that we will be able to look at creating something else again in the future, but for now this is not something that we have the space for.

"We are very sorry for the disappointing news, and will continue to keep you all in the loop if this changes in the future."

They confirmed that there was no longer an option to collect orders at this time.

The post on the company's shop Facebook page

It prompted some upset comments from people, with one saying: "A sustainable company, yet we live in walkable distance and cannot collect or return parcels and instead pay to increase carbon footprint."

Another customer wrote: "What a shame the loyal locals haven’t been treated so loyally. So the Cornish little company we were all so proud of and supported grew up and now the Cornish people have nowhere to come and enjoy a bargain anymore."

In reply, a member of Frugi's customer service team went on to add on the page: "Thanks for all your comments and feedback, we do understand your disappointment and frustration with the shop not being back open.

"We did hope that we would be able to reopen, but sadly this isn't the case at the moment.

"We do have plans for local events, so keep an eye on this page and our social channels for more news in the not so distant future."

An example of Frugi's latest range

In response to one question about whether the popular 'warehouse sales' – where Frugi opens the doors to part of its warehouse for the day to sell older clothes lines at discounted prices – the company representative added: "We know how popular the warehouse sales are, and we will still be keeping some of these local so you can still enjoy them! Once we have more information to share, this will be released on our social channels."

When contacted, a spokesperson for Frugi told the Packet: "Due to Covid, the shop had to be closed for a while. In addition, this past year has seen Frugi increase the number of employees, and so we have had to move offices to accommodate this growth and there was not enough space for a retail shop.

"The warehouse is still in Helston, near the offices, and our second warehouse is still in Netherlands."

Frugi has recently launched its new collection

Sarah Clark, CEO of Frugi, has also subsequently told the Packet: "In October 2021, Frugi started its retail journey with the opening of Clark’s Village in Somerset, a space that is now short-listed for a Drapers Sustainable Store Design Award. 

"The store stocks a broad range of products from the Frugi company, including Frugi Bloom maternity-wear, Frugi baby, toddlers’ and kids’ clothing, as well as sister brand, TotsBots reusable nappies.

"The store is a brilliant opportunity for Frugi to meet and engage with its customers, and help educate on organic cotton and recycled polyester, as key sustainable materials in the use of its ethical clothing.

"The store is also the venue for many customer events, such as the recent readings at World Book Day.

"Frugi previously had a small unit next to its warehouse in Helston, which was used to offer some discounts on old season stock. Given the growth of the Frugi brand and its organisation, the company has now moved to larger units within the trading estate, and no longer has the outlet unit.

"Instead, Frugi will be running a series of events in both Cornwall and the rest of the UK to allow all customers to access their end of season stock. The first of these 'Big Sales' is being held on Friday, April 22 to Saturday, April 23, at Truro School. Frugi is excited to see as many of its Cornwall customers as possible at the event.

"In addition, over the next 12 months Frugi is also exploring click and collect opportunities within the UK, so it can continue to serve its customers in the best way possible."

Last year Frugi announced that it was opening an outlet shop at Clarks Village in Somerset, which opened in December.

The company, originally set up in 2004 by Lucy and Kurt Jewson from their kitchen table in Constantine, before opening their first headquarters at Gear near St Martin and then moving to Helston, was taken over by London-based investment firm True in July 2018.

Last year Sarah Clark took over from Hugo Adams as CEO of Frugi and last month Margaret McDonald was appointed as the group’s new chair, with experience as global president of Victoria’s Secret and a senior executive for GAP Inc, Banana Republic and Primark.