Frozen and chilled counters

Suppliers were informed of the change this week

Holland & Barrett is phasing out its chillers and freezers in the wake of falling sales this year.

The Grocer understands that sales across these categories have been affected by changing shopper behaviour during the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in higher levels of wastage.

The health food retailer told suppliers this week that it would begin removing chillers and freezers from January.

The changes will impact 26 producers.

“Holland & Barrett has been supporting customers with their specialist dietary needs for 150 years and we regularly review our ranges by listening to our customers and understanding how they are shopping with us,” said a Holland & Barrett spokeswoman. “We have been working with suppliers to manage supply as the lockdowns have disrupted usual footfall and sales of these lines in our stores. We have honoured previous orders made with these suppliers and have agreed with our chilled food distributor to transfer free of charge the warehouse held stock to them.”

“Over the last year we have seen increased demand from customers looking for wellness products, but appetite for chilled and frozen food in our stores has decreased, so we have taken the decision that from January we will start to remove those ranges. This change will make space for new and exciting wellness products we think our customers are going to love.”

Last month The Grocer reported that Holland & Barrett was extending a trial aimed at eliminating food waste to its entire retail estate. The move sees the retailer create a dedicated are in-store offering products such as flour, drinks, nuts, herbs, spices, chocolate and beauty products that were past their best before dates for as little as 5p.