Holland & Barrett was formed in 1870 after Alfred Slapps Barrett and Major William Holland opened a store in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, selling groceries and clothing. The retailer has grown into one of the largest sellers of health foods, supplements, vitamins and minerals in the UK with more than 1,000 stores nationwide, as well as an international presence in Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Holland & Barrett manufactures and repackages most of its products at its production facility in Burton-on-Trent, helping to make it one of the most profitable retailers in the UK, with exceptionally high profit margins.
The business has operated under numerous owners since its inception more than 150 years ago. In the 1920s, Alfred Button & Sons bought the business, but decided to keep the name Holland & Barrett. By 1970, it was bought by Booker, and it changed hands twice more in the 1990s, being sold first to Lloyds Pharmacy in 1992, and then to NBTY five years later. In 2010, Holland & Barrett was acquired by US private equity firm The Carlyle Group, and seven years later it was snapped up by L1 Retail for £1.77bn.
Holland & Barrett is trialling an in-store concession with WHSmith Travel featuring a range of health, beauty and wellness products.
The former executive vice president and co-chief operating officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance has been named as Holland & Barrett’s new executive chair.
Alongside Holland & Barrett’s physical stores, the retailer has a thriving tech team led by its chief technology officer Sathya Nandakumar. Slack’s Chris Mills met with her to discuss how Holland & Barrett’s teams are using a digital HQ — a single digital space that organises work between people, systems, partners and customers — to improve collaboration across the business
The Chinese beauty market is one step ahead with its innovative and exciting approach. Alibaba Group’s Zarina Kanji examines how UK retailers can learn from key players in this industry.
Holland & Barrett has appointed former Marks & Spencer product director April Preston as its new global product director.
Advertisement
