Natural Health Trade Summit returns to Manchester

The Natural Health Trade Summit, the leading specialist trade event for independent health food retailers, is set to return to Manchester on Sunday 16 March 2025. Hosted at the Kimpton Clocktower, this year’s summit is set  to be the most comprehensive yet, featuring over 100 exhibitors, engaging roundtable discussions, and unparalleled networking opportunities. Organised in […]

Christmas 2024 – how was it for you?

We’ve been getting some early reports in from Health Store UK Committee Members on how their businesses performed over the 2024 Christmas selling season, with generally encouraging and positive feedback. But we’d like to get a more comprehensive picture of how well the festive period delivered for our Members. So, we’d love to hear about […]

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 […]

Indies urged to get behind Small Business Saturday event 

Health store retailers are being urged to join other indie stores in spreading the word about Small Business Saturday, which celebrates the contribution of small UK businesses to their communities. The national event, run by Small Business Britain and now in its twelfth year, takes place in December and has seen billions of pounds spent […]

The top food, health and wellness trends to look out for in 2025

It’s late November and the annual festival of industry trend spotting is in full swing. Everyone from market analysts to big name retailers, brand agencies to wellness companies are keen to tell you what they are sure will be big in the food, health and wellness sectors in 2025.  We’ve has been unpacking this year’s […]

Edinburgh retailer hosts Scottish Labour leader to talk rates relief

Edinburgh-based retailer Hanover Healthfoods hosted a visit from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar this week, on the day he called on the SNP-led Government to “support Scotland’s high streets” and match the UK Government business rate relief scheme.  The visit, facilitated by FSB Scotland, comes just a few weeks ahead of the Scottish Budget.  Scottish retail and […]

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, […]

Try these great tips to make your festive season sparkle

Health Stores UK’s latest Shop Talk event offered retailers a whole host of brilliant tried and tested tips and ideas that will help 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 […]

Don’t pass me by: Encouraging 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 the latest in our Mastermind Forum discussions*. Session host Cheryl Thallon (owner of Sheaf Street Health Store) had prepared a punchy […]

What do you think about Mary Portas’s view of health stores?

The retail expert and former government adviser on the future of the high street, Mary Portas, was the headline speaker at last week’s Natural & Organic Products Expo show in London, where she gave a wide ranging interview with natural beauty champion and broadcaster, Janey Lee Grace.  She was specicially asked for her opinion on […]