About us then - history
Mike – one of NGS’ founders...
“It was all an accident, really. I was staying with a family on Vancouver Island in the late 1980s. It was the sort of place that you either arrive in a small boat or, if you’re in a hurry, a helicopter. Their son was quite ill, and had schizophrenia. To try to help him, the whole family changed their diet. They stopped eating processed food and switched to a more natural way of eating – whole grains, organic food, that sort of thing. I was pretty sceptical at first, but the change in diet had a massive effect on Ross's behaviour. It was incredible – and it got me thinking."
Paul, NGS’ other co-founder takes up the story…
"Mike and I were both thinking as, a couple of years later, we travelled through the US and the Far East. We started looking at how natural foods were sold in America and Hong Kong. It was all very, very different from the rather worthy, dark and understocked ‘health shops’ that you found in the UK. You could buy things other than dried chick-peas for a start…"
We decided we should take the plunge and start our own store. Somewhere light and airy like the stores in the States. Somewhere where we could make sure the shelves were groaning with things people would want to eat, rather than little brown things in packets they thought they should eat.
We looked in London, Brighton and a few other places before we settled on Cheltenham. We gutted the store, slapped what felt like gallons on paint on the walls and then opened the doors on May 1998. Customers started coming in, they liked what they saw, many of them are now firm friends, and the doors have stayed open…
I’m not sure we’ve had time to draw breath since!
What’s been happening lately?
At the moment, we’re kitting out our new warehouse in Andoversford. It’s a mammoth task, but it means we’ll soon be able to offer even keener prices because we’ll be able to buy direct from more suppliers. It also means we’ll be able to expand the range we stock in the Cheltenham store as well as here, on-line.
The environment
With some places, you either get the feeling they’re using their environmental credentials as a marketing tool. With others, it’s all so hair-shirted it hurts. For us, it’s simple. We believe the smaller our footprint, the better for the world.
That’s why we recycle absolutely everything we can. Sometimes, it’s almost in spite of ourselves – if you try to get through the corridor at the back of the store you can’t move for stacked cardboard ready to be recycled. Look in the loo (no – really) – we’ve got a hippo bag to minimise the water we use, and you can wash your hands in biodegradable detergent. You won’t find a standard lightbulb in the place – they’re all low-energy. We use Ecotricity for all our power as well.
Rather than installing air conditioning, we’ve covered the front windows of the store with solar film to keep temperatures down.
Nearly all our staff cycle to work – and we make sure there are plenty of places they can leave their bikes safely. We’ve even chosen the people who deliver your order as much for their environmental credentials as their efficiency.
For us, it's simple. We believe the smaller our footprint, the better for the world.
That's why we recycle absolutely everything we can.
Awards
- Winner of the Green Apple Award 2008
- Innovative Vision in Retailing – Finalist
- Best Retailer 2007 – runner up to Waitrose
- UKTV Local Food Hero 2007 Nominee
- Cotswold Life Organic Retailer of the Year (three times in a row - 2006, 2005, 2004)
- International Retail Design (we actually came second – to Stella McCartney’s Hong Kong shop…)
