Opinion: Holland & Barrett’s a good fit for Tesco - snail slime and all

Tesco’s great asset has always been its inclusivity: whether you are on the breadline or a billionaire, Tesco could conceivably be your supermarket of choice. Nutricentre bucked this trend in no uncertain terms.

While there’s no problem at all with sports nutrition or vitamins and supplements in general, some of the elitist and ludicrous nonsense peddled by Nutricentre made it a preserve of the affluent and/or gullible middle classes.

Some £40 for a tub of plankton sweat or £30 for a dozen capsules of ocelot tears is never going to speak to a general Tesco narrative of democracy and accessibility. The fact that it was also haemorrhaging money probably made the decision to close a relatively easy one.

The closure did, however, leave a Nutricentre-shaped gap (literally and metaphorically) in a large number of Tesco stores.

Having depth and authority in health and wellness will be a key attribute for future success, thanks to a combination of growing consumer interest and the ageing population.

It is no coincidence that Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda have all highlighted the category as a must-win as they busy themselves with the reinvention of their larger stores.

Tesco’s agreement of a trial with Holland & Barrett, therefore, makes a great deal of sense.

The units will satisfy residual demand from most Nutricentre loyalists in the six locations in question and will reinforce Tesco’s stature as a one-stop shop for health and wellness requirements.

Unlike Nutricentre, Holland & Barrett has a decent reputation for affordability and compelling promotional activity and (from personal experience) its staff are generally very knowledgeable and friendly.

While one might debate the scientific validity of some Holland & Barrett snail mucus and aloe vera bestsellers, one cannot question the fact that the retailer is a good fit with Tesco and that the trial is likely to be a success.

Following on from the introduction of Arcadia fashion brands at Tesco, and similar initiatives such as Argos and Jessops in Sainsbury’s and Decathlon and McGee’s in Asda, it would appear that third-party participation in larger stores has become something of a done deal.

The trick will be identifying partners where the pain of cannibalisation is either bearable or outweighed by the extra traffic that their presence creates.

These opportunities will likely be in categories where the grocers lack scale or credibility (or both), or in situations where a new partner would add a persuasive reason to visit the supermarket in the first place.

Obvious categories here could include crafts, stationery, motoring, cycling and hardware, so it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility to see names such as Hobbycraft, Paperchase, Halfords, Evans or Robert Dyas showing their faces in an out-of-town grocery shed in the foreseeable future.

There could be scope for more esoteric partnerships, so I personally pledge a case of Champagne for the first supermarket to open an Ann Summers or Games Workshop concession.

• Bryan Roberts is insights director at TCC Global