Holland & Barrett launches new concept in Chester
HEALTH food chain Holland & Barrett has launched its bid to become the country largest organic products retailer in Chester.
The company has created 22 jobs at a new store in the city, which is the first of 50 that will be opened nationally in the next two years.
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The 5,490 sq ft concept store, called Holland & Barrett More, opened on Thursday night. As well as selling health supplements and ‘free from’ products, the store features a vegan nail bar and sells organic fruit and veg and smoothie drinks.
Targeted at the estimated 10 million food allergy and intolerance sufferers in Britain, Holland & Barrett’s new online and high street proposition will list 1,000 products at launch but will have more than 3,000 products available by the end of this year, covering all of the main Free From categories defined in legislation, from gluten and dairy free through to nut, egg and fish allergies.
Chester was chosen for the launch because of its location, affluent demographic and the availability of the right-size shop.
Peter Aldis, chief executive of parent company NBTY Europe, said: “The speed of growth of Free From has seen it transform from what was once regarded as a nutritional niche into a mainstream shopping option. You Gov data on where people buy Free From products shows we already do well in this market, scoring significantly ahead of Boots and very close to Waitrose and Morrisons.
“We already have more high street stores than many of the big supermarkets, and the 50 new concept stores we have planned for the next two years will help ensure we can deliver against our ambition to become the largest Free From retailer in the UK.”
He added: “With our heritage and market positioning, this is a natural territory for Holland & Barrett to lead. We are seeing a significant change in consumer trends in this market alongside an explosion of new Free From products, with many of those on our shelves being produced by small British businesses.”
US-owned NYBT’s Europe’s sales rose 7.5% to £513m in the year to September 2014.
