Holland & Barrett More stores are the latest innovation from the brand and I was lucky to attend the launch of the new store in Plymouth last week. Being only the third store of it’s kind in the country, it was a fantastic opportunity to see how Holland & Barrett are moving with the times and bringing a fresh, modern, innovative approach to their shops that will attract a new wave of customers of all ages.
The store is huge compared to a standard Holland & Barrett shop that I’ve visited and very bright and inviting. Being right on the doorstep of our shopping centre Drake Circus, you can’t fail to miss it and it invites you right inside to try out it’s array of interactive displays, taste it’s fresh goods, grab a pic ‘n’ mix pot of olives or nuts etc or even make your own body scrub in store ready to take away and use at home that evening!
The beauty section of the store is quite frankly huge! Beauty isn’t something I would normally associate with the store, but the More stores now have a large section dedicated to it, packed full of natural and organic brands, far more than I can list down here. A few of the more prominent ones that spring to mind are Dr Organics, Burt’s Bees, Beauty Kitchen, Weleda to name a few but do check it out for yourself because the choice is vast. Rather than products being packed into endless rows across shelves there are a lot of inviting displays eager to catch your eye, there are even opportunities for mini makeovers, hand treatments and a lot of sections where you can really see and smell the products.
Beauty Kitchen are a range that focus on providing 100% natural and effective skin care and body care products that smell amazing. They have an interactive stand where you can make your own body scrub adding ingredients of your choice. They also have lip balm kits which would make great gifts as well as an array of bath bombs and other exciting products. The Zoya stand stood out, a vegan range of nail polish in so many gorgeous looking colours, I could wear them all. The beauty section here has really impressed me and definitely somewhere I’ll come back to.
Although Holland & Barrett are known for healthy foods such as seeds, nuts and dried healthy snacks, if you are vegetarian or vegan then you need to get down to the More store now! It has aisles packed full of not only the usual seeds, pulses, dried substitutes but a whole wall of refrigerated and frozen foods. There really is a vast choice and I spotted many of my favourite brands in both the chilled and dried aisles. The snack selection is pretty amazing too, so I know where I’ll be popping into when I’m feeling peckish in town.
If you thought that sounded good then wait until you witness the fresh food offerings the store has to offer. I wasn’t expecting this lot when I walked in but there is an enormous fresh olive stand where you can pick up a pot and fill with your favourites. Then there is the nut and seed pick and mix counter which looks truly divine. These are perfect for a snack during the day or in the evening with a glass of wine. Then there is the Tea Bar, a utterly unique feature that allows you to lift a small glass cloche and sniff the flavoured tea that’s gently wafting inside the lid. There is a vast range of teas to smell before you buy, with some amazing flavours to try out, such as chocolate orange. There is also a salad dressing station where you can fill your own dressings and oils from tapped dispensers, again a unique and interesting feature. 
I think you’ll have gathered from the above that I was rather impressed with the new Holland & Barrett More store with it’s vast range of products and modern concept of displays and interactive features. It really has taken this shop into the future and is a place I’d love to visit every time I venture into town. Get down there now to check it out for yourself!
Here you can watch me talking about my thoughts on the store:
Keep you eye out for my follow up blog post reviewing the products I’ve been trying out!
