CHP Magazines CHP Magazines Spring 2019 #16 | Page 48

WholeLife Pharmacy and Healthfoods
Atherton provide their community
with a truly holistic approach to health
and well-being. The store has all
the pharmacy products and services
Australians know and trust, plus one of
the countries widest ranges of natural
and organic products. I got the chance to
have a chat with Toni and find out more.
WholeLife Pharmacy and Healthfoods - Atherton
How long has WholeLife Pharmacy &
Healthfoods been operating?
We converted the store from Atherton
Discount Drug Store to the WholeLife
Pharmacy & Healthfoods at the beginning
of June 2019. The shopfit was completed
by the end of June. Our pharmacy brand
name has changed but we still have the
existing staff on board, we have just
expanded our offer to meet our customer’s
and community’s needs, and chose to
compliment this with the WholeLife
Healthfoods format.
Who are your main types of
customers?
There are definitely no set age
groups, surprisingly a number of younger
customers and older customers are
shopping the WholeLife way. We are now
seeing new customers from diverse age
and demographic groups coming in and
commenting positively to the changes.
What is it about your store that is
distinctly different from other pharmacies
and health food stores?
Good old-fashioned service, a friendly
persona and atmosphere. . We have
always prided ourselves on being an
integral part of Atherton and surrounding
communities and we strive to improve
on this all the time. We are fortunate to
have several very friendly, informative and
experienced Pharmacists, who are trained
in a variety of different areas, from CPAP
to Flu injections, from Diabetes checks to
just good old-fashioned advice. We also
have a nutritionist on staff to support
customers with advice and support with
health foods and nutrition. Over all we
offer our customers products they can buy
locally instead of travelling to Cairns or
buying on line.
What are the changes in peoples
buying habits you have noticed over the
past couple of years?
Allergies, lactose intolerance, gluten
48 Complete Health
intolerance and other ailments have
become more prevalent in the last couple
of years and people are shopping to find
products to assist with these conditions.
What are the fastest moving
categories within your store?
Organic products, reusable products.
Dairy free and gluten free. A natural
product.
What trends do you predict over the
next twelve months?
More and more people are shopping
with a conscience and have a greater
awareness of health and wellbeing . They
want less sugar,artificial flavours and
additives. The younger parents to-be, are
shopping this way for their bubs now. So
children are being brought up on organic/
natural food from birth. There is going to
be a trend towards this even more so than
what it is now. Customers are more aware
of what goes into their food now than ever
before because of the increase in diabetes,
allergies and other health concerns.
Customers are reading labels now, not just
shopping cheaper, but smarter.
Where do you see the natural health
sector heading in the next couple of years?
Expanding to cater for peoples’ needs
and requirements. Offering customers,
a wider range, diversifying into a more
natural product.
What changes would you like to
see occur within the Natural Health and
Wellness sector?
The customer speaks volumes.
Catering for what customers want and
require is going to determine what
happens in this sector. For example, more
and more customers are being diagnosed
with lactose and gluten intolerance in their
20’s, 30’s, right through to their 60’s. This
trend is going to determine the direction of
this sector. For us this means listening to
our customers to provide a service we can
all be proud of.
What excites you about working at
WholeLife Pharmacy & Healthfoods?
The learning curve which has occurred
and is continuing every day. Meeting new
customers who were previously shopping
for their needs in Cairns or buying
online. Maintaining the present level of
service with the pharmacy/prescription
side and promoting the new WholeLife
Healthfoods area within the pharmacy
realms. Providing a service to the Atherton
community and surrounding areas is what
excites me about working here at Atherton
WholeLife Pharmacy & Healthfoods.
What’s the best thing about your job?
When I have assisted a customer,
either with a script or a product out of
the WholeLife Healthfoods section, and
they leave here a happy customer, I get
a real sense of achievement. I enjoy
serving customers from all walks of life
and all places across the globe. We all
learn something new every day, whether
it is something you read or something a
customer asked for because of a certain
ailment, we file that in that memory bank
to be used on another occasion and, also
share that knowledge with other staff
members.
Equally on number one would be,
being part of the great team at Atherton
WholeLife Pharmacy & Healthfoods.
Some of our staff members have been in
Pharmacy for 45 years and longer. Add all
those years of knowledge from every staff
member, and you would have over 200
years of knowledge and experience. It just
works well for all of us and we are excited
about the future.