Retailer Resources

Summer 2015

‘We want to support independent retailers, and inform consumers’

Lee Holdstock from The Soil Association talks about why independent retailers are so important when it comes to getting the organic message across.

Over the last few years we have seen a shift in the organic market, with the multiples’ share slowing, and more of the market moving to the independent sector. As a result of the economic downturn there was a marked reduction in the number of organic lines available within the multiple retailers. As a result independent retailers were able to capitalise on the more niche products that were no longer on offer in the bigger stores. With current market analysis it is clear that the multiples are struggling to recover from the shift and the gradual creep towards the independents is continuing. All the evidence tells us that consumers who want to buy organic didn’t go away during the recession – they just changed the way that they shop.

The Soil Association has always seen independent retailers as a really important channel, not just because of this shift in shopping habits, but because of the important role they play in communities and the relationships they have with their customers. Health food stores are not just shops; they are often community hubs, where people go to find out about how to live a natural and healthy lifestyle, and the retailers who work in them are providing a service that goes far beyond just selling things.

Spring 2015

"Training should be a requirement for retailers"

John Frisby, Chairman of the Health Food Institute for six years, talks about why educating retailers in independent health food stores is more important than ever.

Winter 2014

Compete on your own terms

Solgar’s new Managing Director, Dave Rollinson, understands the fierce competition facing independents but believes the time is right to press home your advantage.

Autumn 2014

Undersold and undervalued? Bent Henriksen OBE, Managing Director of Pharma Nord UK, warns of the dangers of focusing on price instead of quality products and service.

Summer 2014

Don't ignore sports nutrition: Margaret Peet says it’s time to tap into fresh ideas and move with the times

Spring 2014

Born in the USA, sold legally in the UK: bringing legislation-compliant supplements from the US into Europe.

Read other Retailer Resources Articles here: 2013 | 2012