Our Heritage

In 1932, health food stores were still a relatively new idea, and finding supplies could be both difficult and expensive.

So to centralise buying and help each other to get the best terms and prices, 50 stores from as far afield as Aberdeen and Devon got together to set up Health Stores (Wholesale) Limited. The name of the first secretary was Percy Bastow of Croydon.

Today, The Health Store is a modern organisation upholding the same principles and values. Its primary aim remains the same.

We trade with professionalism, taking an ethical approach to the food we buy for our members and we insist on remaining completely focussed on our retailer’s needs. We recognise the need, therefore, to form close relationships with organisations such as the Health Food Manufacturers' Association, the British Herbal Medicine Association, the Health Food Training School, and Consumers for Health Choice and the National Association of Health Stores.

The Health Store is more than a commercially effective company; it is a Society operating for the mutual benefit of all its retailers.