2024 was an action-packed year for Health Stores UK. Here, we dip into our news archives and highlight some of the year’s stand-out moments.
January
Better Food’s Phil Haughton receives MBE
Phil Haughton, founder of multiple award-winning organic retailer Better Food, was made an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to sustainable food initiatives and to the community of Bristol.
Window of opportunity: Unlocking the potential of your shop windows
Our first Shop Talk webinar of the year looked at how stores can unlock the potential of their ship widows, creating a gateway to new customers by catching the attention of the hundreds of shoppers who will pass by your store each day.
Health Store Mastermind Forum creates ‘safe space’ for retailers to talk shop
In January, we launched an exciting new webinar series – Health Store Mastermind Forums. Around 30 retailers joined us for the first session, hosted by Cheryl Thallon, owner of Daventry-based Sheaf Street Health Store. Cheryl explained that the Mastermind Forum sessions will take the form of informal drop-in discussions, creating a ‘safe space’ for retailers to talk to each other in confidence.
February
We welcome two new members with an exciting future
In February we welcomed two new members to the association. Natural Choice describes itself as a traditional health food shop and has been established in historic Knaresborough for 30 years. Demeter Health is a thriving wholefoods store in the heart of Sandbach.
March
‘Extremely positive’ NHT Summit draws hundreds to Manchester event
Health Stores UK had a strong presence again at the Manchester edition of the Natural Health Trade Summit, which saw hundreds of health food retailers and brands come together in the city. Our Chair, Len Glenville, said: “The strong turnout out from retailers at this year’s Manchester Natural Health Trade Summit was very encouraging and positive to see. The show floor was really buzzing, and we were very pleased to be actively involved with the round-table programme and spreading the word about Health Stores UK!”
Harness the power of customer-centric thinking to boost your store sales
How can you transform your store into a hub of excellence and customer understanding? That was the question up for discussion in one of our spring Shop Talk events. The lively event, co-hosted by Dave Christie and Joanne Hill, shared insights and tips on ways retailers can understand their customers’ changing priorities – and gain new ones by innovating and adapting to them.
April
It was an action-packed two days for Health Stores UK at NOPEX
We had a fantastic two days at Natural & Organic Products Expo in April, chatting with members and retail colleagues, and signing up new members. We also welcomed leading health food personalities onto our stand, including Dr Marilyn Grenville and Patrick Holford. We also took part in a lively panel discussion on the future of retailing in the Natural Theatre.
Viridian founder ‘honoured’ to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Viridian Nutrition founder and Health Stores UK Committee member, Cheryl Thallon, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s NOPEX event. Cheryl was presented with a plaque at the Natural & Organics Innovation Award 2024 ceremony in recognition of her commitment and dedication to the natural and organic industry which spans over 40 years.
Target Publishing donates £2,200 to Health Stores UK
We were delighted in April to receive a generous donation of £2,200 from Target Publishing to support our work championing the cause of independent health food retailing. The donation followed another successful edition of the NHT Summit in Manchester last month.
Live from Daventry! Mastermind Forum offers retailers top tips on running in-store events
In April, we staged a Mastermind Forum event with a difference. Following a discussion among members on how to maximise opportunities of staging in-store events, we switched to a live-streamed in-store event from Sheaf Street Health Store in Daventry, featuring a trio of brilliant speakers talking around the theme of nutritional and physical wellbeing during menopause, and a lively Q&A.
May
Lively Shop Talk session highlights opportunity to ‘empower men to prioritise their health’
A lively and well attended Shop Talk session in May shone a light on the important issue of men’s health. The session was introduced by Shop Talk regulars Vicky Perks (Beanfreaks) and Joanne Hill (Amaranth), who set the scene before handing over to guest presenter Orley Moyal, Education & Training Manager at Terranova.
June
Health Stores UK unveils General Election Checklist
Health Stores UK has created a pledge card-style General Election Checklist to highlight the vital role that health stores can play in improving the health of the nation. The ten-point Checklist summarises public health and business support priorities for the next Government as Health Store UK members see them.
Wild Oats celebrates Independent Retailer of the Year win
Long-term Health Stores UK member Wild Oats celebrated winning Independent Retailer of the year at this year’s Natural and Organic Innovation Awards 2024, part of the NOPEX event. It’s the second time the Bristol-based store has won the prestigious award.
July
Top tips on how to power up your POS!
In our summer Shop Talk event, Dave Christie of Take on Goliath, discussed top tips to power up your point of sale – a great opportunity just waiting to be seized. From advice on how to make high-margin products stand out, to using ‘staff picks’ to drive sales, Dave had all bases covered!
Health Stores UK welcomes trio of new members
In July, Health Stores UK welcomed on board three new members. Our new joiners were: Down to Earth in Midhurst, West Sussex; Yfda Health Store in Aberaeron and Lechyd Da Health Store, Cardiff.
August
Don’t pass me by!
How can you encourage shoppers to stop, look and enter your store? What does your store front say about you and your business? Is it attracting potential new customers, or could it – gasp! – be putting them off? These were among the questions tackled in our August Mastermind Forum discussion. Session host Cheryl Thallon had prepared a punchy presentation, packed with tips and insights. From thoughts on “welcoming windows” and inviting colour schemes, to suggestions on making your store more approachable – there was something for everybody to take away and put straight into action.
Volunteer ‘human chain’ ensures speedy relocation for Cardiff retailer
A volunteer 70-strong human chain enabled a remarkably quick store relocation for Cardiff-based wholefood retailer and Health Stores UK member Iechyd Da, earlier this month. Store owner Alwen Lewis took up a suggestion from Health Stores UK to put out an appeal on social media for volunteers to help the business move over 200 boxes of stock a few hundred metres along the city’s Merthyr Road, to its new, bigger premises.
September
Bristol NHT Summit buzzes for second year
Health Stores UK had a busy day at this year’s Bristol NHT Summit, the second time the event has been held n the west of England city. As well as networking on the show floor with prospective new members and partners, the show was a great opportunity to check some of the most exciting new products, and dip into an inspiring workshops programme.
October
Try these great tips to make your festive season sparkle
Health Stores UK’s autumn Shop Talk event offered retailers a whole host of brilliant tried and tested tips and ideas aimed at helping stores get the most out of the festive selling season. Hosted jointly by Dave Christie (Take on Goliath), Joanne Hill (Amaranth) and Cheryl Thallon (Sheaf Street Health Store), the session covered all the ‘ingredients’ – timing, stock, creating a festive experience, boosting footfall, customer spend and profit – needed to end your year on a high.
‘Game-changing’ AI package helps retailers create polished social media campaigns
Health Stores UK deputy chair and multiple retail business owner Melanie Beard was the star of a fascinating episode of Bira’s popular High Street Matters podcast series. Mel was on the show to talk about a brilliant AI package that has enabled her to create polished social media campaigns with minimum know-how and cost across all her stores.
Health Stores UK welcomes Dave Christie as Head of Business Development
In October, Health Stores UK welcomed Dave Christie as its new Head of Business Development, a brand new role created by the association to drive future growth and development. A highly experienced business mentor with a deep knowledge and experience of the independent health food channel, Dave took on the new role with immediate effect.
Festive season toolkit – ready to download!
Following on from our popular Christmas-themed Shop Talk event, we released a festive season digital toolkit for members to use during this key selling period. With a central message of ‘We’ve got you covered this Christmas’, we created five social media-friendly graphics aimed at conveying to shoppers the exciting and wide range of seasonal products available from their local store.
Health Stores UK attends upbeat Bira Conference
Health Stores UK Business Development Manager Dave Christie and Committee Member Cheryl Thallon represented the Association at this year’s Bira Conference, which was held in central London earlier this month. In a packed day of presentations and talks, prominent figures from the world of independent retail, politics and small business promotion looked at trends on the High Street, latest technology, sustainability and money saving services.
Making sure our voice is heard in the national health debate
Health Stores UK is determined to ensure that the vital role that our sector can play in improving the health of the nation is properly understood, and benefited from, as the new Government sets about overhauling the NHS. So we took part in a national consultation announced by the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, that will shape a new 10 Year Health Plan for England.
Health Stores UK urges caution on employment law changes
Health Stores UK warned that sweeping changes to employment law proposed under the Government’s Employment Rights Bill risk disproportionately burdening independent retailers. Whilst supporting the Government’s aim to improve workplace protection and rights, the association is concerned that some of the measures in the Bill could unintentionally threaten the viability of small businesses, many of which are already in a financially precarious position.
November
Target Publishing donates again to ‘tireless industry champion’ Health Stores UK
Target Publishing this week presented a cheque to the value of £2,100 to Health Stores UK, following a successful NHT Summit in Bristol last month. It is the latest in long-standing series of donations the Health Food Business publisher has made to the Association.
Health stores uniquely placed to help Millennials and Gen Z on their health journeys
Health stores are uniquely placed to help set Millennials and Gen Z on a journey of good health. That’s the passionately held view of Holly Thallon Steenson, Viridian Nutrition MD and retailer (Sheaf Street Health Store, Daventry). Showing why that’s the case, and exploring practical ways of getting these vital younger demographics into our stores, was the subject of her November Shop Talk presentation and discussion for Health Stores UK.
The top food, health and wellness trends to look out for in 2025
In November, we set about unpacking this year’s raft of health and wellness forecasts, trying to spot the trends most likely to impact our own industry in 2025. From ‘from microbiome in your mouth’ to ‘precision wellness’, ‘new-staligia’ to ‘taste the glow’ here are some edited highlights.
December
Acting on impulse: How to prompt your customers into making unplanned purchases
Optimising your store for impulse buys should be an essential part of your retail strategy. That’s because around 40% of shoppers will spend more than they planned, when the strategy is implemented effectively. That striking observation came early on in Health Stores UK’s latest Shop Talk discussion, hosted this time by business coach Dave Christie – Dave’s first event since being appointed as the association’s Head of Business Development.
Gen Z most likely to appreciate ‘uniqueness’ of indie retailers
New research commissioned by online marketplace Faire has found that 74% of Gen Z shoppers prefer shopping at independent retailers, with 62% willing to pay more at indie shops. The poll of 2,000 adults shows that a majority of people aged 18-27 prefer the ‘personal touch’ of an independent store, with 40% of the Gen Z age group also most inclined to avoid chain stores for indie retailers. Over a quarter of respondents (27%) report that they shop at independent retailers more frequently than they did two years ago.
