Why did we set up an Organic Food Shop in Wellington?

We’ve been based at 20–22 High Street, Wellington since August 2022. Wellington is a small market town on the edge of Somerset, close to the Devon border, and it’s built up a strong reputation for independent shops—especially food-related ones. On South Street alone you’ll find longstanding favourites like The Cheese and Wine Shop and Sunseed. While not food-focused, even shops like the striking Sporting Duchess add to the town’s character and remains, in my view, the best presented shop in the town. Further along Fore Street, there’s a butcher and an excellent hardware shop among other gems. These aren’t short-lived ventures either, many have been here for decades, which gave us confidence when choosing Wellington over larger towns nearby. Another factor is how few empty shops there are. In a town this size, that’s significant. A high street with too many vacant units can go downhill fast, and it's heartening to see Wellington holding firm and shops continuing to grow.

The Sporting Duchess Wellington

Why aren’t we fully online—given the state of the British high street?

Many businesses in our sector of speciality food have gone fully online. It makes sense on paper: access to a wider customer base and cheaper units, lower business rates. But we don’t agree with that approach because we think it is missing out some vital details. Despite the doom and gloom headlines, we believe the high street still has a lot to offer—especially when it comes to things that simply don’t translate online. Community, human interaction, the ability to see and ask about products in person, these are hard to replace and in some cases impossible.

Yes, it’s tough for small shops to compete on price with big chains. Hardware shops will struggle against screwfix, greengrocers and butchers will struggle against large out of town retailers simply because of the economics of scale and efficiency. However the other side of the coin has seen many business models adapt and thrive, Just look at modern bakeries—you might not always see a loaf of bread but you will see more pastries and takeaway coffee. Businesses are evolving, not disappearing.

It’s easy to say the high street is “dying” when a big name like Wilko shuts down—but what about the success stories, like Coffee#1’s recent growth? That suggests the high street is changing, not failing. Towns like Glastonbury and Frome show how a thriving mix of quality independents can still flourish. We believe Wellington has the same potential, and already delivers on much of it.

It is also worth noting, if a shop closes down on a high street then everyone sees it and it is easy to say it is because the high street doesn't work anymore, what about all of the online businesses that close? Most people of course never see it, are they failing because selling online no longer works?

What does our Organic Food shop in Wellington shop offer?

Ruxstons is rooted in three key principles: Quality, Authenticity, and Discovery. These guide everything we do and help us stay agile in a changing retail world. We’ve grown into one of the largest organic shops in Somerset, with a huge gluten free range alongside our 100% grass fed meat and pasture raised eggs. Most of these products in the UK are purchased online but crucially, we’re here in person in the shop. You can talk to a real member of staff and ask these questions, you might find online you are talking to a chatbot whose sister’s farm definitely doesn’t produce the grass fed beef you are buying! As we sell online and in store also we feel we simply have the best of both worlds.

Ruxstons Coffee Shop in Wellington

We also opened a small coffee shop inside the store. With so many people enjoying good coffee and wanting shops to be more of a community hub, it made perfect sense.

At Ruxstons Coffee Shop in Wellington, you can grab a top-notch arabica coffee—and now, a pasture-raised pork sausage roll. It’s a tasty, low-risk way to try the meat we sell before committing to a full order in store or online. We have also become known in Wellington for takeaway pizzas, again you will find the same meat is used that we sell in store because we never sacrifice our quality.

Whether you're local to the area or just passing through, we’d love to welcome you into our Organic Food Shop in Wellington. At Ruxstons, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, just offer genuinely good food, a bit of conversation, and a place you can relax and walk out feeling better than when you came in.

Ruxstons Organic Food Shop Wellington