21 October 2024
Holland & Barrett, the UK’s leading wellness retailer, marks a significant milestone in its transformation programme with 315 stores refurbished within its latest financial year, including opening 35 brand new stores.
Its impressive store programme is not slowing down, as its multi-million pound transformation continues with plans to reach all of the remaining Holland & Barrett stores in its retail estate in the UK and Ireland.
Anthony Houghton, CEO, Holland & Barrett UK&I, said: “We aim to have easily accessible retail stores where customers want and need them, which is why we are investing heavily in our high street presence and our end-to-end customer experience.
“Refitting hundreds of stores and opening 35 brand new ones in a 365-day period is no mean feat, and that’s down to the expertise and amazing dedication of our colleagues across our business. And to think….we are only just getting started.”
This year, H&B also introduced a number of new format trials, including travel locations, garden centre concessions and its ‘smallest store’ kiosk in Dublin Jervis centre, which sells a curated range of 1,000 products to customers on the go.
It’s also rapidly expanding its concession stores, with 15 new stores opened this year, including launching a new partnership with NEXT, with three locations opening over the summer.
It’s store transformation extends beyond layout and merchandising, with new technology a significant part of the H&B store upgrade programme, with in house-built tech solutions for customers in store, including the industry-leading ‘Cerebro’, which tangibly supports colleagues to have deeper connections and conversations with customers about their wellness, and new in-house built self-check outs being trialled alongside new digital solutions to support its customers and colleagues, including the new H&B App, and digital experience
This year, Holland & Barrett has also invested over 63,000 hours of colleague training, including introducing 600 Women’s Health Coaches to the high street who have had extended training to offer free, personalised support and signposting on women’s hormone health.
The H&B transformation continues into its next financial year, with plans to add over 1,000 new product lines to its own brand ranges, as well as opening an additional 50 new stores on high streets across the country.