Holland & Barrett is coming to Lordship Lane

[gebbjane]

Yes the organic grocers by Chener books has some no packaging stuff.

 

The shop mentioned above that opened pre-covid was  As Nature Intended, they had  a fairly large selection of no packaging stuff.

They were acquired  by Planet Organic  who obviously decided the store wasn’t performing well enough so chose to close.

[nivag]

23 hours ago, ab29 said:

Disappointing to see H&B coming to LL. Would be great to have 'no packaging' shop instead

There's Beetroot and Beans in Forest Hill

https://www.instagram.com/beetrootbeans

[just_browsing]

And BYO in Nunhead, and JARR Market in Herne Hill. 

[teddyboy23]

Nothing like a bit of healthy competition😉

Edited February 20 by teddyboy23

[Callie]

Anyone know when H&B is opening?

[Sue]

If anyone is interested,  there are a number of 2 for 1 and other H&B offers online at the moment (including for nuts, not 2 for 1 for nuts though) plus an additional 22% off if you use the H&B  app and spend over £40.

Some of the offers are available without the app.

You can pick up in Lordship Lane which is easier than waiting in for a delivery. 

No idea if the offers are also available in store, but you wouldn't get the extra 22% discount then.

Only on till midnight tonight, sorry, I have only just seen the offer,  because I was looking for nuts.

Oh,  and I did buy some things from Health Matters earlier today!

Edited March 13 by Sue

[Nigello]

I went to get psyllium husk (which I pronounced very clearly and even pointed to my stomach, reflexively) but was taken by the assistant - whose face showed puzzlement for a few seconds - to the selenium section..! When I said it was not what I was looking for I had to explain what it’s used for and was then pointed to their product which was in tablet form - not what I was after. I’m much keener on places that know what’s what but at least I gave it a go…

Edited March 14 by Nigello

[Jenijenjen]

Contrasts with my experience at Health Matters last week  who took me straight to it with 3 different versions 

Edited March 14 by Jenijenjen

[Sue]

What I couldn't understand was on the day H&B  opened (or at least the Saturday after it) they had two people standing outside with trays of something round their necks, as if they were selling ice cream at the interval in a 1950s cinema.

These things appeared to be free samples of something (can't remember what. Magnesium tablets? From the labels on the little jars?) 

There was nothing to say they were free, nothing to say what they might be useful for, and no apparent attempt to engage passers by, or even to hand them out to passers by. 

What was the point?! It had the opposite effect on me, as they looked so bored and fed up 

We did have a wander round the shop, but the only thing they had which I might have bought ( a particular kind of milled seed which Health Matters don't stock)   I can get cheaper in Waitrose !!!

ETA: I only buy their nuts when they are on offer (and freeze them) 🤣

Edited March 14 by Sue

[granadaland]

What used to be on the H&B plot?

my minds gone blank.

[Jenijenjen]

I think it was an estate agent, can't remember which, in my mind they all merge into each other

[claresy]

Those samples on trays weren't free.  I assumed they were and asked!

[EDlives]

The Health Matters staff are anti vax and once told someone in the shop to take some supplements instead of vaccinating their child!! I will be shopping in h&b. 

[Sue]

4 hours ago, claresy said:

Those samples on trays weren't free.  I assumed they were and asked!

Really?!

No wonder they still had so many left when we passed!

What were they? How much did they want for them?!

That seems an extremely strange way of enticing people into a new shop! 

[claresy]

I can't remember how much or what they were  - some sort of supplement or vitamin. They were a special offer but definitely not free.

 

[Sue]

I don't think H&B can be doing very well.

I went in yesterday to collect my order (lots of nuts. I freeze them. I eat a lot of nuts).

The place was empty.

The manager, who seemed to be the only member of staff  there, was very helpful (I had to remove the nuts from the box to fit the order into my backpack, as the box wouldn't fit, so I think in future I will stick to getting things delivered!)

But then he said, have a look around, you can have 10% off. But I didn't want to look around, because if there had been anything I wanted I would have added it to my order and got 22% off!

Just wondering if they are offering everybody a discount to try to get people to buy things?

I felt a bit sorry for him, rattling around by himself in a big empty shop.

[just_browsing]

While I sympathise with the staff, I also wouldn't go out of my way to support H&B - they are far from being a local, independent and I see the investment company that owns it got in various tangles re one of its founders (Russia, sanctions etc).

From shopping angle, I used to like them but in recent years (no idea if that coincided with ownership changes) I feel as a brand it's lost its USP and charm. And as per other discussions, would hope the likes of Healthmatters aren't negatively impacted in these really difficult retail times. 

That's not me wishing they close forthwith, in case it reads that way, just highlighting they aren't the H&B I think they were back in the day. 

[monica]

On 14/03/2025 at 15:35, EDlives said:

The Health Matters staff are anti vax and once told someone in the shop to take some supplements instead of vaccinating their child!! I will be shopping in h&b. 

Hi. Monica from Healthmatters here, Just to clarify we are not anti-vaxers, I was told about this post and I needed to come on and clarify this. Whoever heard us recommending supplements over vaccinations were incorrect. Please do not spread untruths about our store and sullying our reputation. 
Thank you 

Edited May 20 by monica

[Moovart]

That is good to hear.

A few years ago I certainly had a hard time convincing two close relatives to give MMR x 2 to their children rather than have six single vaccines done privately as they had been suggested was best by someone in Health Matters.  Glad to hear the anti MMR advice is no longer being given.