Health Food Central
Tweed Mall
plates, food wraps and packaging. The
elimination of plastic bags in our stores
has been great, and people are already
used to it, despite some initial push
back. Definitely great for the world.
What trends do you predict over the next
couple of years
I think there has been a shift toward
anti-ageing interest and there is some
solid growth in the US in this area. There
seems to be some good research around
some great natural supplements that
seems to focus on the activation of stem
cells and their use in chronic conditions.
The more years I accumulate, the more
interested I get in this area too.
What changes do you see will occur in
the Natural Health sector in the next
couple of years.
With the constant movement of
natural health products from traditional
health food store environments into
mainstream supermarkets and discount
chemists, health food stores need to
keep ahead of the game and keep
focusing on locals and their needs.
Advice driven customer service will only
get more important as the competition
increases.
Big companies trying to corporatise
health food store chains will continue to
stuff it up by focusing too much on the
numbers rather than the people, driving
customers away to stores where the
staff actually care about them.
What would I like to see in the Natural
Health Industry
I’m getting a bit sick of seeing brands
turn up in the two major supermarkets
that health food stores have built
through years of loyalty. What they
don’t seem to realise is that they get
completely screwed by the big guys
and completely lose the stores that
are their bread and butter, ruining their
market in the process. A good example
is a once popular Coconut yoghurt/
ice cream brand who recently sent in a
‘relationship manager’ to try to get back
into my stores. Obviously, there is no
relationship.
I would like to see brands remaining
loyal to the people who have grown their
business. Simple right?
What’s the best thing about my job
I really love talking to our customers the
most. Because many of our customers
have become friends over the years,
working in the stores has become a
very enjoyable part of my work life. The
exchange of information with customers
is also a great way to constantly learn
and get better. It’s a great way to
discover new products and trends.
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