Need a hand with your Christmas shopping? Then say hello to our friendly Fruugo elves!

They’ve traveled from the frozen North to help you find great gift ideas and take a little stress out of the holiday shopping madness. Every week our three handy helpers will show you the great deals and gift ideas they find at Fruugo. Follow them around and you’re sure to find just the right gift for your friends and family.

Introducing the Fruugo elves:

Tyylis Tylleröinen is the loveliest of them all! She’s a charming girl who loves health and beauty products. She’s got the best Christmas gift ideas when it comes to perfumes, lotions, cosmetics and everything that makes you feel gorgeous. Come on in and meet Tyylis!

Leikki Mielikäinen – this cheerful little guy loves toys. He spends his days discovering new games, cuddly animals and everything that makes a great gift for children (or the young at heart)! Meet Leikki and see what he recommends for you this Christmas.

The sporty Pontus Kuntonen is crazy about sports and spends his free time skiing and snowboarding in Lapland. He loves winter sports and all sorts of sports gear, outfits and equipment. This Christmas he’s choosing the best of the best sporty gifts for men, women, girls and boys. See what Pontus likes and what gifts he’s already bought for his friends.

We’re finally here to share the latest news from the Fruugo universe and shed some light on the recent events that you may have heard of from the Finnish media. So, read on!

Our financial situation has been tough during this fall, but the immense efforts and dedication of everyone at Fruugo, not to mention the trust in the idea behind Fruugo, have let us overcome the biggest obstacles. All challenges aren’t behind us just yet, but we have room to concentrate on the tasks at hand and continue working on the service full steam ahead.

The sad news is that we had to go through a lay-off process and part with nearly half of our team, at least for the time being. We are a much smaller team now, focusing primarily on the business side of things, while still putting a considerable effort in the development of the Fruugo service. We’re on the right track and things are looking good – the shop is open for everyone in Finland, Holland and Sweden, and it’s full of excellent products and great deals, too!

You may have noticed that some of the shop’s departments have a larger and deeper product selection than the others – this is no accident. We are mainly concentrating on the Health & beauty, Baby, and Sports & outdoor departments – and we’ve already come a long way! We can boast an extensive selection of hair care, body care & skincare products, perfumes, and much much more at highly competitive prices.

So come on in, browse, discover, and shop. And when you do, please share your thoughts with us. Are there specific brands or products you’d like to see at the shop? Or maybe features that you want Fruugo to add? Anything at all you wish to tell us – we’d love to hear!

Juha Usva, CEO, Fruugo

P.S. Fruugo is going to Turku! We’ll be spending the weekend at the Osaava Nainen 2009 fair, the biggest women’s event in Finland. This year the fair revolves around health & beauty and well-being. To find out more check out the Osaava Nainen website at www.osaavanainen.fi. This is our first participation in a public event and we are childishly excited about it! We can’t wait to demonstrate our webshop and let the visitors smell and touch the kinds of products sold at Fruugo.