Is Fruugo legit? Online marketplace explained

FRUUGO is a rapidly expanding business thanks to the growth in online shopping,

But what do we know about the company, that has been featured on Deloitte's Technology's Fast 50?

Finnish beginnings

Fruugo is the UK's leading online marketplace.

The global marketplace services make it easier to trade goods across borders, whether they are clothes, tools or other shopping items.

It was formed in 2006 in Finland and received heavy investment to help the service grow.

However, the company's growth was turbo-charged by an acquisition by Dominic Allonby and Darren Naylor in 2012.

The company moved to Ulverston in Cumbria and was serving one million customers globally by 2019.

King's Award

Fruugo doubled its customer base in 2020 and received the first ever King's Award for Enterprise for International Trade in April 2023.

The prestigious award allows the company to use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the following five years.

Allonby, the company's executive chairman, said the company was "extremely proud" to receive the award.

He added: “Fruugo has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and to see our achievements recognised with such a prestigious award is a real honour.

“I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their commitment to the company and to our vision; this achievement is a credit to the team’s hard work and determination.”

International trading

Fruugo offers sellers, who partner with the platform, the opportunity to reach customers in over 42 countries.

It deals in 31 currencies and 28 languages.   

It also calculates international sales TAX and VAT, while paying relevant government bodies on its retailers' behalf.

Retailers can market their products to a global audience that is continuously growing when they join Fruugo.

Allonby, told : "Uniquely, Fruugo uses technology to reduce the complexities of cross-border trade by offering a fully integrated, localised offer for retailers and shoppers around the world.

"For shoppers, we offer retailers’ product listings into their local language and offer purchases in their local currency.

"Meanwhile, retailers achieve sales and receive payment for orders in their local currency from shoppers in countries they wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach."

Safety concerns?

Fruugo is a legitimate website which has been operating in its current form for over a decade.

The slew of awards it has won gives it even more credibility and the brand has a Trustpilot score of 4.1 (as of October 2024).

The company's app is also safe to use.

In 2021, Fruugo featured in Financial Times Europe’s 1000 Fastest Growing Companies.

And in 2023, it ranked at No41 on The Sunday Times 100, which features Britain’s fastest-growing private companies.