Organic babywear retailer Hugo and Me has opened its first ever high street store in Greater Manchester, hoping to offer local parents the chance to shop organically.
The babywear company was founded by Victoria Shuttleworth and launched as an online retailer after failing to find reliable retailers of organic and ethical babywear following the birth of her son, Hugo. Now, the company has opened its first physical store in the UK’s fastest growing city, Manchester.
Victoria, reflecting on the inspiration for the company, commented: “When Hugo was born, I was faced with a challenge – where can I find organic, high-quality baby clothing that looks stylish? After all, I thought, you care about the planet. You care about your baby. It’s only natural that you’d want organic, ethical clothing for your treasured little one. So why was it so tough to find?”
Victoria wanted organic clothing which catered for different ages and tastes, so sourced several small brands and brought them together to help parents find eco friendly clothing with an edge.
The store was designed by Victoria, who gave it a sleek and neutral look, opting for a style similar to the products sold in store. The store is white to keep it bright and spacious, whilst having lots of lighting to help display and promote products. The interior has a Scandinavian feel, with clean lines accompanied by natural wooden furniture. Hugo and Me are a family company, and in order to help families find their store accessible, Victoria has made sure there is ample space for prams to be parked, but also for prams to be able to move around the stores. Toys are there to play with whilst parents browse around the store, to ensure that shopping at the store is an enjoyable and stress free experience even with babies and children in tow.
About the opening, Victoria stated:“The opening day was fantastic, we had a steady stream of customers come to visit the shop and have a look at our lovely products. We had lots of compliments about the style and decor of the shop and of course the great quality of the products. With Christmas just around the corner the wooden toys and furniture were of particular interest to a lot of customers looking for Christmas presents, as well as the matching hats and cosy Winter outfits.”
Hugo and Me is now open at 111 High street, Uppermill, Oldham OL3 6BD, UK
