British wellness brand Holland & Barrett shutters all 12 Singapore stores
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The Holland and Barrett outlet at AMK Hub was shuttered when ST visited on March 7 at about 10.10am.
ST PHOTO: AQIL HAMZAH
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SINGAPORE - British health and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett has closed all 12 of its outlets in Singapore, marking an exit for the brand after more than 15 years.
The closure was officially announced on its Instagram page on March 10, although it is believed that its physical stores across different malls had started shuttering as early as March 6.
When The Straits Times visited five outlets that day – at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 313@somerset, Isetan Scotts, Suntec City and Nex – the store shelves were either already emptied or workers were in the midst of packing up.
The store at Nex was subsequently boarded up on March 7.
Meanwhile, the outlet at AMK Hub had a sign put up on March 7 informing customers that it was “currently closed”, redirecting customers to hollandandbarrett.com “for the latest news in health and wellness”.
That same day, a Facebook user, who identified herself as an employee at Holland & Barrett, said her co-workers were all surprised and unprepared for the closure.
“Everything happened so quickly, and it feels like a nightmare,” she said, adding that she had worked at the retailer for 12 years.
Customers were also not told in advance, said one regular who did not want to be named.
He told ST that he had renewed his membership – worth $88 for the year – and received two complimentary vouchers, valued at $150 each, which can be used until July.
The Holland & Barrett outlet at Nex in Serangoon was boarded up when ST visited on March 7. It had been shuttered the night before, with a sign telling customers to visit the brand’s website.
ST PHOTO: AQIL HAMZAH
Expressing his unhappiness on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group on March 4, he said Holland & Barrett should not have allowed new membership sign-ups or renewals for 2025 if it had planned to shut down.
The member also said he suspected something was amiss when he noticed that items were not being restocked during a visit to an outlet on March 3, although the staff could not give him any details.
Asked by ST if he had filed a complaint with the Consumers Association of Singapore, he said he had not, adding that he was concerned most about the welfare of the employees.
Queries sent to Holland & Barrett Singapore on March 6, concerning the number of employees laid off, and if customers had been informed beforehand, were unanswered as at March 10.
ST has contacted Jay Gee Enterprises, which owns a subsidiary, MA Supplements, that brought Holland & Barrett to Singapore in 2009.
A sign put up outside the AMK Hub outlet of Holland & Barrett on March 7.
ST PHOTO: AQIL HAMZAH
On March 7, an announcement on the Government’s e-gazette said the directors of MA Supplements had made a statutory declaration of its inability to continue the business because of liabilities.
The declaration, made on March 4, marks the first step for a business to wind down, with meetings between the company and its creditors scheduled for March 18.
A search of MA Supplements’ file with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) also showed that it was in the midst of liquidation as at March 4.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Holland & Barrett said the firm does not directly run operations in Singapore.
Instead, local stores and a localised branded e-commerce platform were run by franchise partner Jay Gee Health, which was renamed as MA Supplements on March 27, 2009, according to its Acra file.
“Due to changes within our franchise partner’s business, we understand that all stores are currently closed, and the Singapore website has been taken offline.
“We share in our customers’ disappointment at this development and recognise the impact it may have on those who rely on our products,” said the spokesperson, who added that Holland & Barrett is exploring new opportunities to continue catering to the needs of Singapore customers, with further details to come in due course.
At its peak, there were 27 Holland & Barrett stores in Singapore – according to an April 2014 report in The New Paper – which carried a range of health products from vitamins and minerals to other supplements. It also carried items such as healthy snacks, organic food and organic toiletries.
Founded in 1870, Holland & Barrett started out as a grocery store, and according to its website, it has 1,368 stores in 16 countries worldwide.
Aqil Hamzah is a journalist covering breaking news at The Straits Times, with interests in crime and technology.
