Holland & Barrett to open 50 new UK stores in 2025

Holland & Barrett has set a goal of opening nearly one store per week in 2025.

The health and beauty retailer told The Grocer it plans to open 50 new stores next year, after adding 35 new sites in the past 12 months.

It has also renovated 280 more over the past year, as part of an in-store investment program led by owner LetterOne.

Nick Gerrard, Holland & Barrett’s director of ownership and format, told The Grocer the health and wellness retailer was in talks with new partners to expand its in-store concessions network, alongside its footprint on high streets, as part of the next stage of the rollout. Particular emphasis will be placed on sites located in retail parks, which include supermarkets, it said.

H&B currently has just under 50 concessions in Tesco stores, having resumed the UK rollout last year. The latest opened in Burnley this week, and there are plans to open another “eight to 10 between now and Christmas”, Gerrard said.

It also currently has three concessions within Next stores, as part of a partnership launched in July, and has also opened a series of new concession formats within garden centers over the latter part of the year.

“There are undeniable facts, we want Holland & Barrett to be accessible,” Gerrard said. “We only have 19 stand-alone sites in retail parks, because generally the size of the boxes we have is too large.

“However, there are partners in these retail parks, whether Tesco, Next or others, who have space available and want to make their offering more attractive to customers who shop with them.”

A traditional Holland & Barrett store is typically around 1,600 square feet, while available space in most retail parks was typically 6,000 square feet, Gerrard said. H&B’s largest store, located in Manchester’s Arndale Centre, spans 4,000 square feet.

“We are talking to potential partners and we will see where it takes us,” Gerrard said.

Holland & Barrett began adding lines in Tesco stores in 2016. However, the UK rollout was paused during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the retailer focused on Tesco stores in Ireland.

Holland & Barrett achieved store expansion ‘milestone’

LetterOne has invested more than £70 million in H&B stores and the supply chain, since completing a £700 million debt buyout deal in November 2022.

As well as its traditional sites and concessions, H&B is also targeting more travel locations, after opening its store at London Bridge station and a small kiosk in Dublin’s Jervis shopping center last year.

The company plans to open new stores at Paddington Station and Liverpool Street in London in the coming months, and sees a long-term opportunity for “30 to 40” travel stores “over time”. It also features a current travel essay with WH Smith.

The wider refurbishment program began three years ago, with its high street store in Chelmsford. About 500 of H&B’s 800 stores are “pretty much in the format we would like them to be in”, Gerrard said, adding that the company aims to complete the transformation next year.

While Holland & Barrett had already opened many stores, Gerrard said the footprint lacked investment.

“We needed to update it, get it in shape and show the best of Holland & Barrett today. But also, let’s give ourselves a platform that we could also change quickly over time,” Gerrard said.

Alongside the introduction of new technology, much of the ‘front of house’ work has involved replacing bespoke fixtures with standardized shelving and cabinets which can more easily introduce range extensions in the future.

H&B now has a “standardized plan” for store layout. It includes more visual merchandising aimed at “telling a story” through digital POS and screens, as well as better lighting.

At the back of store level, H&B has modernized and expanded the waiting areas, as well as the staff areas at the rear of the stores.

“Stores used to be like a library of vitamins and supplements,” Gerrard said. “It’s quite confusing for customers and we wanted to demystify that.”

H&B had seen a “good double-digit rebound” in new customers thanks to this investment. he added.