Holland & Barrett

Holland & Barrett
Subsidiary
Founded 1920
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Products Vitamins, Minerals
Parent NBTY
Website www.hollandandbarrett.com

Holland & Barrett is a chain of health food shops with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, China, Singapore, Spain, Malta, Cyprus and Gibraltar. The company also has stores in the Netherlands, where they trade as De Tuinen.[1]

History

Holland & Barrett was formed in 1870 by Alfred Slapps Barrett and Major William Holland, who bought a grocery store, selling groceries and clothing.[2]

They developed their business into two shops – a grocery store and a clothing store. It is also evident that in 1900 they occupied a store in the High Street of Epsom.[3] In the 1920s, Alfred Button & Sons bought the business and kept the name Holland & Barrett.[2]

Holland and Barrett has since changed hands a number of times. In 1970, Booker McConnell acquired Holland and Barrett, also acquiring Heath & Heather stores which they later renamed Holland & Barrett. Lloyds Pharmacy later purchased Holland and Barrett in 1992, after which NBTY acquired Holland & Barrett in 1997. NBTY was bought by private American equity firm the Carlyle Group in 2010.[2]

In 2009, Holland and Barrett announced major plans to build, and relocate to, a new £7.5m national headquarters for up to 250 staff at the Eliot Business Park in Nuneaton, planned for completion in 2010.[4]

Brands

Holland and Barrett's sell own brand vitamin and mineral supplements, made by the company itself.

Advertising

Singer Kim Wilde featured in Holland & Barrett TV advertising between 2004/05. Former Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones has featured in the 2010-12 TV advertisements. Only Fools and Horses actor David Jason voiced the adverts from 2012 and Alan Davies took over from 2013

Dietary needs

They are often used by the vegan and vegetarian communities for their range of products, such as the Linda McCartney and VBites Foods ranges. Other communities with specific dietary needs, those who are lactose intolerant or gluten intolerant also buy from Holland and Barrett as they have a wide 'free-from' range including soya milk and gluten-free bread.

Franchising

The company recently started its international expansion with franchising. The first three franchise stores opened in October 2008 in Durban, South Africa and the company currently has nine franchise stores operating in South Africa, all by the same franchisee. Singapore where the company currently has five franchise stores open and Malta with one store were added in 2009. The plan is to expand the Holland & Barrett brand globally with bigger country franchise partners and 2010 will see several country additions to the franchise business.

Holland & Barrett opened its first store in China on Nanjing Road in Shanghai in July 2012. The number of stores in the Chinese market is expected to rapidly expand to over 300 in 5 years. Additionally, another franchise partner began with opening a Holland and Barrett in Gibraltar in July 2012.

Holland and Barrett began operating in Spain.

"Workfare" controversy

From February 2012, Holland & Barrett in the UK were subject to adverse publicity; boycotts; and demonstrations at stores, due to their use of workfare participants. The Company published no corporate response or interaction via social media for several months until, on 5 July 2012, Holland and Barrett announced it was pulling out of the scheme, citing the negative publicity. The Guardian reported that the company was "no longer prepared to face further bad press and in-store protests", attributing the change of mind to pressure from Solidarity Federation and Boycott Workfare - Holland & Barrett will "now pay all its workforce" and will "henceforth only take apprentices paid at the national rate of £2.60 an hour".[5]

References

External links