EXCLUSIVE: Ruggable to Open U.K. Facility, Expand E-commerce
MILAN — U.S.-based Ruggable is opening its first international facility in the U.K. this month, as it advances its growth strategy since first launching its U.K. e-commerce site in October 2021.
The new production and shipping plant will be based in Birmingham and will fulfill orders for its unique rugs, which can be washed and dried, throughout the U.K., Germany and Austria. In the near term, Ruggable will unveil its Dutch and French e-commerce sites, the latter planned for late 2023.
More from WWD
Ruggable, which distinguishes itself for its decorative coverings that can be detached and reattached to a rug pad, currently ships to the U.K., Germany, Austria, Australia, the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada.
Despite lingering trade barriers between Britain and Schengen Area countries, the Birmingham facility is a key facet of the company’s broader European expansion, and the company expects it will provide faster delivery and enhanced customer experience to consumers in the U.K. and Germany, two of Ruggable’s most successful markets to date, the company said.
Ruggable’s product offerings have grown to more than a thousand designs, including the introduction of the new “Faux Hide” texture category. In the fall, Ruggable also expanded into the bathmats category, and most recently has collaborated with global design icon Iris Apfel, which it says drove its U.K. sales.
Ruggable founder Jeneva Bell told WWD on Thursday that the returning customer rate in the U.K. has increased by 20 percent year-over-year versus the first quarter of 2022. Some of Ruggable’s most popular collections in the U.K. include its collection with potter, designer and author Jonathan Adler, Apfel and its New Vintage Collection featuring sophisticated, old world designs.
“This is our first international facility, marking a huge step forward in our growth trajectory in the U.K., and a milestone in our plans to continue to expand within the U.K. and Europe,” Bell said. This means the company can deliver its rugs to customers “much faster, and provide a better customer experience.”
This year, Ruggable launched a capsule collection with London’s National Gallery, its first dedicated U.K. collaboration, in which masterpieces from the likes of Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh were reimagined into floor coverings.
Bell, who is based in Carson, California, considers herself a “serial entrepreneur” and created a fragrance line named “Flower Bell” in her early 20s, after graduating from Arizona State University. She founded Ruggable six years ago after her own expensive rug was ruined by her dog.
Best of WWD
Solve the daily Crossword
