Nuneaton base "fits the bill perfectly" for Holland & Barrett

Warwickshire's reputation as an excellent place to base a business has been further endorsed by Holland & Barrett's decision to expand their existing national headquarters in Nuneaton.

The health food retailer's HQ expansion comes on the back of another very strong year for the company.

Holland & Barrett reported a rise in profits before tax of 12.2 per cent - their seventh successive year of growth. For the year ending September, sales rose by 11.7 per cent to £513.6million with profits before tax coming in at £146million.

The company has become a familiar feature of high streets throughout the country and has 620 outlets across the United Kingdom and Ireland, but four years ago selected Warwickshire as its base. It now employs more than 300 people at its headquarters at Samuel Ryder House, Eliot Park, Nuneaton.

And the company is so happy with the location that an extension of that HQ is underway, thus securing Holland & Barrett's presence in the town well into the future, says group legal director Roger Craddock.

“Holland & Barrett has had a presence in the Nuneaton area for a while, with a previous warehouse in Hinckley," said Mr Craddock. "With stores from Inverness to Penzance we need a central distribution hub with excellent road and rail links, so Nuneaton fits the bill perfectly for us.

“The company headquarters have been based at Eliot Park for four years and are currently undergoing a major refurbishment and extension to create more office and car parking facilities, which will secure our future here for some time.”

The refurbishment is due to be completed by Christmas 2016. Building work on the main site commenced at the beginning of February.

That a national retail powerhouse like Holland & Barrett sees its future at Eliot Park is a significant tribute to both Nuneaton and the surrounding area which supplies those 300 employees.

Buoyed by continuing success, the company is now planning further growth, including globally with the opening of another 1,000 stores across India to dovetail with its growing presence in China.

"Our experience is that the British heritage behind our brand gives us significant advantage in our sector," said Holland & Barrett chief executive Peter Aldis. "Overseas consumers, such as those in China, seem to prefer the quality and reliability of our products compared with local competitors.

"This year's performance, especially our rapid growth overseas, underlines the fact that rising consumer interest in healthier living and wellness is by no means a UK or even western phenomenon."

Despite its global plans, however, Holland & Barrett remains fully focused on satisfying the UK market, insists Mr Aldis.

"Our home market in the UK continues to be the first to benefit from our very healthy new product pipeline and from our continued investment in innovation."