Martin Lewis' report into major UK health food saving scheme finds customers losing money
Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert (MSE)team has been investigating Holland & Barrett's 'Subscribe & Save' scheme, finding that in the majority of cases it failed to offer customers "the best value".
Due to their report which looked at trends over the past five months, the chain has now promised to review the scheme.
As stated on the Holland & Barrett website, the scheme is a service that "means you will never be without your favourite wellness products, you control the frequency of deliveries, perhaps it's shampoo you need every month, or vitamins you need every 3 months.
Read more: Martin Lewis issues 'flawed' warning over Labour u-turn on Winter Fuel Payment cut
"To make sure you get the best price, you'll get up to 45% off* every time, we also offer free delivery on every subscribe & save order over £10."
The scheme also offers free delivery.
The asterisk notes that the fixed percentage off can range between 20% and the capped limit of 45%.
The MSE team checked the prices of 10 products over 100 separate days between 29 July 2024 and 17 January 2025.
Ultimately, the investigation came away with two major findings:
MSE stated: "In over half of cases (59%), it was therefore cheaper to buy the product as a one-off – rather than through the subscription.
"Shoppers would've lost out on savings of 75p to £3.50 in most cases – but in the worst instances, they could have overpaid by as much as £39.99."
A major reason for this is that the scheme doesn't factor in other savings the company is offering, such as 'buy one get one free'.
Essentially, "the subscription discount doesn't stack with most other promotions," according to the MSE team.
In response to the MSE, Holland & Barrett defended Subscribe & Save, saying that it offers "consistently great prices over the course of a year", along with "the convenience of an automated order".
Yet, it admitted that "on rare occasions", customers "may have paid more".
The chain also said it would "carry out a detailed review," of the scheme following the MES's detailed report.
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