Shining a Light on Health Stores during Family Business Week 2025

“Sometimes customers leave with a hug or a simple piece of information to guide them on their way.”

This approach is something we’ve heard echoed across so many independent Health Stores — often from parents and their offspring who’ve grown up in the business. Once people experience the joy of helping others feel better through nutrition, it becomes something they want to be part of long-term.

Family Business Week shines a spotlight on businesses like these — the ones rooted in their communities and built on shared values. It’s common to find Health Food Shops run by more than one generation of the same family. Many children start out helping behind the counter at weekends, and as adults, become passionate about continuing the family tradition.

Organised by Family Business UK, the week running from 24th – 28th November is a chance to acknowledge everything these businesses give back and to celebrate the people who keep them going.

Across the country, more than a thousand independent health stores open their doors each day, offering nutritious foods, trusted supplements, free-from alternatives, natural beauty products, eco-friendly home essentials and so much more. Their impact is quietly powerful.

Here, we take a moment to appreciate just a few examples from the vibrant network of family-operated health stores.

Adele’s Apothecary – Moy, Northern Ireland.

Adele’s Apothecary, established in 2018, is a family-owned business founded with the vision of blending traditional herbal remedies with modern wellness practices. The apothecary offers unique, handcrafted products designed to support the body while being made with care and attention to detail. Often described as a hidden gem, it’s a place where nature and personalised care come together.

The team at Adele’s Apothecary is passionate, dedicated, and highly knowledgeable in health and nutrition. With diverse backgrounds in nutritional therapy and pharmacy, each team member draws on their expertise to offer professional advice tailored to the individual needs of every customer.

Nutrition Centre – Cheltenham

Back in 1972, Helen Galpin’s father-in-law opened Nutrition Centre as a retirement project – and over 53 years later, this family-run store is still thriving!

Helen and David Galpin, the passionate owners, shared:

“Our business has proudly served Cheltenham for over 53 years. We’re known for excellent customer service and a warm, friendly atmosphere. I often hear lovely feedback about our team – We’re really proud of them.”

Natural Health Store – Wexford, Ireland.

Natural Health Store is owned and run by four siblings, who opened their doors to the community in December 2013. With a wealth of experience in the health industry, they decided to follow their dreams in owning their own health store. Their passion for helping others was the key driving motivator.

Clair, Co-Owner said “We hold strong family values, and have a great passion for helping people find solutions to their health concerns. We take the time to dig deeper to find out what might be going on, we don’t believe in handing out supplements for the sake of it. In fact, sometimes customers leave with a hug or a simple piece of information to guide them on their way.”

Naturalife Wholefoods – Sherborne, Dorset.

Naturalife opened its doors in Sherborne in 2006, becoming the third store in a growing family business that already operated successful branches in Crewkerne and Dorchester.

At the time, Sherborne’s long-standing health food store, Food for Thought, was preparing to close as its owner retired. The Naturalife family was invited to bring their experience and community focus to the town, quickly securing the premises they still proudly occupy today.

All Naturalife locations remain family owned and operated, with three generations now working together in-store — a testament to their passion and dedication to natural health.

Following Sherborne’s opening, the family expanded further, acquiring several more stores: Country Harvest and Sunseed in Taunton (now merged as Naturalife Taunton), Sunseed in Wellington, The Bay Trees in Ferndown and Christchurch, and most recently, Toucan in Minehead.

Make sure you pop into your local independent health store to find how the team can help you and YOUR family. Visit them at: www.findahealthstore.com