UK organic lifestyle brand Frugi has acquired TotsBots, the environmentally-friendly cloth nappy company, together with its sister brand Bloom & Nora, the reusable sanitary products brand.

TotsBots designs, manufactures and sells sustainably-sourced and environmentally-friendly nappies made from recycled plastic bottles. Bloom & Nora, meanwhile, uses bamboo and other sustainable materials to produce reusable sanitary items.

 

 

With a growing consumer focus on sustainability and a rising interest in purchasing environmentally friendly products, the three brands sit at the forefront of this trend.

The acquisition will allow each of the brands to further leverage this trend; capitalising on the ongoing shift in consumer behaviour towards more sustainable purchasing habits.

Frugi, in which True, the retail and consumer investment and innovation firm took a majority stake in July 2018, has seen strong growth over recent years; achieving growth of over 50% in like for like sales over the recent Christmas trading period.

TotsBots is also enjoying considerable progress, particularly in its direct-to-consumer business, which has grown over 80% in the last 12 months.

Following the acquisition, the brands will work closely together with significant cross-selling opportunities. There is also the option for Frugi to leverage TotsBots’ existing manufacturing facilities to test and develop new products and categories more quickly in the future.

The market for disposable nappies has struggled in recent years.

As consumer backlash against single-use plastics increases, the market is estimated to be declining at 6% per annum. Sustainability charity WRAP estimates that a child will soil between 4-6,000 nappies between birth and potty training. Plus, around 3 billion single-use nappies annually represent 2-3% of all household waste.

In addition to a clear financial benefit for families, which is estimated to be over £750 over the life of a child, the environmental impact can be cut significantly with reusable nappies. Only 30 to 50 cloth nappies are necessary from birth to potty. Plus, the nappies can be reused by second or third children.

True, Europe’s only retail and consumer investment and innovation firm, has invested further capital into Frugi to fund the acquisition. Selling shareholders will also retain a stake in the enlarged Frugi group.

To enable the three brands to come together True worked closely with Frugi founder, Lucy Jewson. Jewson remains a shareholder in the group and has a long-standing relationship with TotsBots’ founders. Following the acquisition, both TotsBots and Bloom & Nora will be able to benefit from commercial introductions via True’s Live Network of complementary businesses and senior executives.

Commenting is Hugo Adams, Frugi’s CEO. “This is a really exciting acquisition that goes right back to the founding principles of both brands. We already share a common purpose, values and ethics, as well as an obvious product fit.

“Both businesses are already hugely successful with excellent growth rates. Bringing them together gives us even more opportunities to leverage the considerable skills and expertise in both businesses for the benefit of our customers, suppliers and the environment.”

Uniting shared values.

Also commenting is Fiona Smyth, co-founder of TotsBots. “We have spent 19 years developing, manufacturing and selling sustainable and environmentally friendly nappies. We have always looked to make the best products in the kindest way possible to our planet; inspiring and enabling parents to make choices that have a positive environmental impact on the future of their children.

“Frugi, and Lucy, in particular, have always been an inspiration to our brand. Bringing our company together with Frugi is the best possible outcome for us, our customers, suppliers and the environment. With such close alignment to our own ethical and sustainable objectives, we are really excited about the journey ahead.”