Health food retailer Holland and Barrett has opened its first free-from concept store in the UK, as food intolerance and avoidance continue to drive growth in the sector.
The Holland and Barrett More outlet in the city of Chester, in northwest England, is the first of 50 more concept stores planned for the UK during the next two years. It will stock a 700-strong product offering, supported by 1,000 further products on Holland and Barrett’s website, which will rise to 3,000 by December.
The store was launched yesterday, as the free-from sector embarks on a period of high forecasted growth. Last month, we revealed that the free-from category in the UK had doubled since 2010 and was expected to grow by a further 50% by 2019, according to research published by Mintel.
Holland and Barrett is the British arm of US nutritional supplements and wellness products provider NBTY.
NBTY Europe CEO Peter Aldis said: “The speed of growth of free-from has seen it transform from what was once regarded as a nutritional niche into a mainstream shopping option.
“YouGov data on where people buy free-from products shows we already do well in this market, scoring significantly ahead of Boots and very close to Waitrose and Morrisons.”
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