Capital first for herbal medicine drop-in centre

Health and beauty retailer Napiers Herbal Health Care has opened a flagship in London's Goodge Street, offering the UK's first drop-in acute herbal medicine clinic.

The retailer, created last August when Edinburgh-based herbal house Napiers merged with the former Body Shop-owned Botancials chain, aims to open four outlets annually to attain its target of 30.

Since the merger, Napiers has re-sited its Cambridge and another London store to more prominent locations. Shops will open in Chichester and Bristol this summer, taking the fledgling retailer's store count to eight. Trading under the Napiers Herbal Health Care fascia, the retailer dispenses herbs and own-brand potions, alongside clinics staffed by qualified medical herbalists.