The year of FRIT

🥳 2022 was the first full year of FRIT. And what a great year it was! More than 500 pieces sold online. Already present in 5 stores. More than 20 chip shops proudly wear FRIT clothing. This exceeds all my expectations. Thank you for every order you have placed.

After the strong start at the end of 2021, the year started quite badly. In January, 2 t-shirts were sold online, in February and March each time 6. That was not a promising start. The second quarter brought more success and I have to thank you for that. Then the second series of t-shirts was designed, almost entirely based on your input. The collection was expanded with Bitterballen, Julientje and the popular stew meat sauce t-shirt. You could clearly taste the delicious designs of Studio Chapo. Since then, more and more people have found their way to FRIT's webshop.

Then the first physical store that wanted to sell FRIT came knocking, Well Concept Store in Heist-op-den-Berg, I was over the moon with that. It made me proud to see my own creations in a store. Four more stores were added: César in Mortsel, VITA in Turnhout, Gäst Store in my hometown Bruges and SKM in Aartselaar. It was not easy to quickly supply the stores that purchase larger quantities, fortunately there are always understanding and helpful people in and behind these stores. In October, the range was expanded again with sweaters, something you actively asked for and clearly like to wear.

🎯 The end of the year was a hit. In December, more than 100 orders were placed online. A number that I did not dare to dream of in the spring, but I did strive for. The fact that this has been successful is, for me, confirmation of the existence of the FRIT brand. For other brands that number is small beer, but for me it means a lot. It is a number to build on and hopefully surpass one day.

Apart from these numbers, the real success for me is that many of you enjoy wearing FRIT clothing. In addition, I have not received any return yet. A proof of the quality of the clothes and the charm of the designs.

As fantastic as 2022 was, there are also things that could be better. For me personally, stock and shipping are two points that need to improve. Stock management is something completely new to me and unfortunately I have to contact people every now and then because they ordered a piece that was available in the webshop but was out of stock. Although almost everyone always responds very understandingly to this, there is clearly room for improvement here. On the other hand, the way of sending is not yet in line with what FRIT wants to radiate. It is now rather dry and although that is cost-effective, it would be nice to cheer up your moment of reception.

A price increase is imminent in 2023. That is not an easy decision, something I have thought about for a long time and talked about with many people. A healthy cash flow is necessary for further growth. FRIT is now breaking even, which is fine, but does not allow for an efficient inventory strategy. In addition, textiles have increased by 15% since last year, paper products have become much more expensive and shipping costs continue to rise. Therefore, the price of a T-shirt will increase by 10% (33 EUR instead of 30 EUR).

I certainly realize that this is not obvious, which is why I would like to compensate for this. Most of the orders are orders of 1 T-shirt. I therefore looked for a solution to reduce the shipping costs of these orders. For orders of 1 T-shirt, from 2023 there will be a new shipping option of 3 EUR, without track & trace. In this way, the order of 1 T-shirt incl. shipping from next year will cost 36 EUR instead of 35 EUR. This softens the price increase somewhat.

🙏 Finally, I also want to invite you to give feedback . Positive or negative, big or small, I appreciate any feedback I can get. It is only in this way that FRIT can grow. Share your ideas, tips, questions, frustrations with me via this link or by email: thomas@getfrit.be .

Now I'm going to count my stock and put it back in order in a first step towards better stock management 😊

Thank you for 2022,

On to an even better 2023!

thomas

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🥳 In 2022, FRIT had its first full year of operation and it was an incredible year! More than 500 items were sold online and FRIT is now present in 5 stores. More than 20 fry shops proudly wear FRIT clothing, exceeding all of my expectations. Thank you for every order you have placed.

After a strong start at the end of 2021, the year started off quite poorly. In January, only 2 t-shirts were sold online, and in February and March, 6 were sold each month. This was not a promising start. However, the second quarter brought more success, and I have you to thank for that. The second series of t-shirts was designed almost entirely based on your input and the collection was expanded with Bitterballen, Julientje, and the popular Stoofvleessaus t-shirt. The delicious designs from Studio Chapo clearly appealed to you. Since then, more and more people have been finding their way to the FRIT online shop.

The first physical store to approach FRIT with an interest in selling our products was Nou Concept Store in Heist-op-den-Berg, and I was over the moon about it. It was a proud moment to see my own creations on sale in a store. Four more stores followed: César in Mortsel, VITA in Turnhout, Gäst Store in my hometown of Bruges, and SKM in Aartselaar. It was not easy to supply these stores, which place larger orders, but fortunately the people in and behind these stores are always understanding and helpful. In October, the range was expanded again with sweaters, something that you actively requested and clearly enjoy wearing.

🎯 Finally, the end of the year was a complete success. In December, we received over 100 online orders. This is a number I wouldn't have dared to dream of in the spring, but it's what we were striving for. For other brands, this number might be small potatoes, but for us, it means a lot. It's a number we can build on and hopefully someday surpass.

But beyond these numbers, the real success for me is seeing so many of you happily wearing FRIT clothing. Additionally, I haven't received a single return yet. This is proof of the quality of our clothing and the charm of the designs.

While 2022 was amazing, there are definitely some areas that can be improved. For me personally, inventory and shipping are two areas that need work. Inventory management is completely new to me and unfortunately, I sometimes have to contact people because they ordered something that was available in the webshop but not in stock. While almost everyone has been very understanding about this, there is clearly room for improvement here. On the other hand, the way we ship items is not in line with what FRIT wants to convey. It's currently somewhat dry and while it is cost-effective, it would be nice to live up your moment of receipt.

In 2023, a price increase is inevitable. This isn't an obvious decision and something I've thought long and hard about and discussed with many people. FRIT is currently breaking even, which is fine, but doesn't allow for an efficient inventory strategy. In order to continue growing, a healthy cash flow is necessary. Additionally, textiles have increased by 15% since last year, paper goods have become much more expensive, and shipping costs continue to rise. Therefore, the price of a t-shirt will increase by 10% (33 instead of 30 EUR).

I understand that this price increase is certainly not self-evident, which is why I want to find a way to compensate for it. Most of our orders are for just one T-shirt, so I've looked for a solution to lower the shipping costs for these orders. Starting in 2023, there will be a new shipping option of 3 EUR for orders of one T-shirt, without track and trace. This means that the cost of an order of one T-shirt, including shipping, will be 36 EUR instead of 35 EUR from next year. This should help to soften the impact of the price increase.

🙏 Lastly, I want to invite you to give feedback. Positive or negative, big or small, I appreciate any feedback I can get. It's only through this kind of feedback that FRIT can grow. Feel free to share your ideas, tips, questions, and frustrations with me at thomas@getfrit.be .

Now I'm going to count my stock and put it back in order in a first step towards better stock management 😊

Thank you for your support in 2022, and here's to an even better 2023!

Sincerely,

thomas