Holland & Barrett’s tie-up with Co-op is a healthy win-win

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On the face of it, Holland & Barrett and Co-op are not the most likely of bedfellows. One is a high street health and wellness specialist, the other is designed for quick, local grocery shops.

Yet today, the two embarked on a partnership. Branded Holland & Barrett “health and wellness” bays are set to roll into 125 Co-op stores.

The initial 52-strong lineup of products spans Holland & Barrett lines dedicated to gut health, immunity support, heart and women’s health. Liposomal specialist brand Zooki as well as probiotics from Symprove will also be stocked.

It could prove to be a win-win deal. In the case of Holland & Barrett, it has been busy pursuing a store investment plan, which doubles down on customer experience in an aim to establish itself as a health and wellness destination.

However, its biggest challenge remains attracting regular shoppers outside of its actively engaged core of health buffs and those requiring specialist diets.

To broaden that customer base, Holland & Barrett has been busy growing its network of retail partnerships. In January, it launched a ‘shop-in-shop’ digital marketplace with Ocado.

It now has more than 50 concessions in Tesco stores, and is also trialling new travel-tailored fixtures with WH Smith as well as micro-concessions in a number of ‘secondary locations’ like garden centres.

But the Co-op tie-up is venturing into a new area: convenience. That could introduce the brand to a completely new type of shopper.

Owner LetterOne is hoping Co-op customers – having picked up ABC-Z Multivits & Minerals alongside their morning milk and meal deal – might pop into their local Holland & Barrett store to see the full range, or sign up to its H&B&Me wellness app.

Co-op gains access to fast-growing VMS market

There are plenty of benefits for Co-op, too. The vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) market is one of fmcg’s fastest-growing categories. Value has shot up 12.4% in the past year [Worldpanel by Numerator 52 w/e 18 May 2025] as Brits take an increasingly proactive approach to wellbeing.

Partnering with Holland & Barrett gives Co-op a slice of this growing category, without needing to invest in its own concept.

More than 70% of UK adults already take some form of vitamin or mineral supplement, Co-op and H&B claimed when announcing the new partnership.

Those numbers are likely to further increase, given the focus on self-care in the government’s new 10-year plan for the NHS, announced in June.