The MD of the UK’s oldest health foods buying group, The Health Store (THS), has pledged his support for a buyout offer from the Health Made Easy Group (HMEG), owner of rival Tree of Life.
Formed in 1932 as a cooperative, THS demutualised in 2015 creating some 400 shareholders, and this week the HMEG’s board approached those shareholders with details of its offer. The acquisition would see the purchase of existing shares.
The bid is being supported by Tim Ryan, Managing Director, THS. Should the HMEG’s bid be successful, THS intends to enhance service levels and provide more choice for customers, giving them access to additional product lines, further cementing itself as one of the leading suppliers in natural and organic products.
“Our business has been at the forefront of sourcing natural and organic products for independent retailers for more than 80 years,” says Ryan. “While the business model we used when we were established had its benefits in our early years, since we demutualised we have been able to drive our business forward and be much more focused on planning for the years ahead.”
