When Alfred Barrett and Major William Holland first set up their retail business in Epsom in the UK, in 1870, Dubai was already the main port on the Gulf coast with a thriving pearling community. But nobody could have predicted that over 145 years later, Holland & Barrett UAE would be part of a global chain for health, food and natural remedies, with over 1,000 stores across the United Kingdom, Ireland, China, Singapore, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, the Netherlands and Belgium.
This week saw the opening of the twenty-first Holland & Barrett store in the emirates, in the fast expanding Al Manar Mall in Ras Al Khaimah. This latest expansion comes hot on the heels of the twentieth UAE store, which opened in the new Ibn Battuta Mall extension in Jebel Ali only a few weeks ago. Many more new locations are planned, with another five stores expected to open before the end of Q3 this year.
“We are very proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time in the UAE,” said Warren Muir, Holland & Barrett UAE’s Brand Manager. “Managing growth is not always as easy as it sounds,” he continued. “Aside from sourcing and securing the best retail locations across the emirates, we have really focused our efforts on staff recruiting and training. Walk into any one of our stores and you’ll find our teams are both helpful and highly knowledgeable.”
Building trust is critical when it comes to health products and Holland & Barrett retail staff go through an extensive training programme to ensure that they fully understand the products they are selling and are well equipped to advise customers across a broad range of food, dietary supplements, natural remedies and beauty products.
In the words of Mr Muir: “Sometimes it seems as if our staff spend more time on the school bank than they do in our stores, but the outcome of our training efforts are happier customers, and in the end that’s what generates more growth in our business.” ENDS
Holland & Barrett is Europe’s leading retailer of health, food and natural remedies, with over 80 years of experience. It is a one-stop-shop for everyday Health, Beauty, Sports Nutrition, Weight Management, Children & Pregnancy Health and many more categories all of which lead to a healthier lifestyle. Brands such as Precision Engineering’s Fitness Range, Dr Organic, Linwoods Superfoods, GinGins and many more including Holland & Barrett’s own range of vitamins and supplements are available all under one roof. Holland & Barrett is operated in the UAE as a franchise by Al Khayyat.