Latest news with #HollandBarrett
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
High street chain with 160 stores launches NEW closing down sales after already shutting 38 shops
A HIGH street chain with 160 stores has launched a new closing down sale. Clintons, the card retailer, will close its branch in Hartlepool's Middleton Grange Shopping Centre today, August 16. 1 To shift stock before it closes for good, the chain has launched a closing down sale and has slashed prices by 30%. The move has left shoppers heartbroken, with one sharing: "Shocking, our poor town has gone down the nick." And another described the area as a "ghost town". Meanwhile, a third added: "Well the town won't be worth a light!". It comes as two more stores are set to leave the shopping centre including Holland & Barrett and River Island. The fashion brand will exit in January as part of a major restructuring, which will see at least 33 stores close. As for Clintons, the chain closed 38 stores in the last financial year, which resulted in 300 job losses. The chain has also launched a closing down sale at is branch in Eldon Sqaure shopping centre in Newcastle. But the branch is reportedly set to relocate to another area of the shopping centre in the coming months. The Sun has contacted Clintons for comment. Major card chain with 163 shops launches closing down sales ahead of shutting its doors for good More recently, its Keighley, West Yorkshire store closed its doors on June 14. And another site in Rugby Central is also due to close but an exact date is yet to be confirmed. The chain, which was acquired by Pillarbox Designs also closed a branch in Andover in Hampshire closed in April. Clintons revealed it returned to profit in April this year following a period of distress. The chain made a pre-tax profit of £8million up from £5.3million pre-tax loss it posted in the previous year. A statement from Clintons read: "The company has continued to close loss-making stores and the portfolio of retail stores is now down to approximately 170 stores. "The high street continues to be unpredictable and the company is seeing reduced footfall in the stores year on year. "The company continues to monitor the performance of the existing estate and to close the poor performing stores, which, whilst impacting on turnover, should improve profitability moving forwards." It comes amid a troubling time for UK's retail sector. Just this week, . All outlets will remain across the UK as it mulls "the best possible path forward". Elsewhere, River Island will close 33 stores across the UK as part of a major restructuring plan. The plan is aimed at balancing the retailer's books and writing off its debt as it struggles to stay afloat. Elsewhere, New Look has also closed over a dozen stores this year and its entire estate in Ireland, which consisted of 26 sites. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
The Sun
28-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Seven savvy ways to repair your damaged hair without splurging on expensive products
IF you have been soaking up the sun recently, your hair might need some TLC. UV rays, chlorine in swimming pools, sea salt from the beach and extra heat-styling on your locks for holiday nights out can all take their toll. 6 But you can revive tresses without expensive products using these top tricks . . . HEALING POWER: Pure Aloe Vera gel, £4.86, Holland & Barrett, doesn't just do wonders for sunburn — it is a miracle worker for dry scalps and split ends. Massage into roots to soothe irritation, or smooth through lengths to seal moisture. SWEET IDEA: Combine one tablespoon of sugar with two tablespoons of olive oil for an exfoliating scalp scrub that removes product build-up. Gently massage in before shampooing to boost circulation and banish flakes. VINEGAR CLARIFYING RINSE: Swimming in chlorine dulls hair, but an apple cider vinegar rinse (one part vinegar to three parts water) strips residue for really glossy hair. Pour on after shampooing, leave for two mins, then rinse. DIY MASK: Mix two tablespoons honey, one mashed banana, and one tablespoon coconut oil for a deep-conditioning mask. Apply to damp hair, leave for 30 mins, then rinse. The natural enzymes and oils tame frizz and can restore shine. GREEN TEA GLOSS: Brew two green tea bags in a mug and leave to cool for 30 minutes. Once it has lowered in temperature, use the tea as a final rinse to enhance shine and reduce brassiness. SLEEP SAVER: Swerve pricey silk bonnets and repurpose a satin dressing gown instead. Tie hair in a loose topknot and wrap with the fabric to prevent hair breakage while you sleep. DEEP TREAT: For extra repair, apply a pea-sized amount of pure glycerin, £6, Superdrug, to damp ends before bed. It's a humectant, which means it draws moisture into strands overnight, and one bottle will last for ages. All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability. My haircare routine transformed my brittle patchy hair – there's a cheaper alternative to my favourite product Deal of the day TREAT the family to a feast this week with this 40cm black trolley BBQ. Was £24, now £16 at Asda. Cheap treat STOCK up on Fruit Shoots at Tesco. A four pack – usually £2 – is now £1.50 when you scan your Tesco Clubcard. Top swap GET a golden glow when you use the famous Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Drops, £35 from Space NK. Or try the MCoBeauty Super Glow Bronzing Drops, £10, and new to Superdrug. PLAY NOW TO WIN £200 6 JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle. Every month we're giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers - whether you're saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered. Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket. The more codes you enter, the more tickets you'll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!
Entrepreneur
14-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
"They Aren't Doing You a Favour"
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. "When you fail, you must learn from it, adjust your business plan or presentation, if needed, and get straight back to pitching to the next potential investor, partner or stockist." For Melissa Snover, founder and CEO of Nourished, the road to success has been anything but conventional. Her business, which creates 3D-printed personalised nutrient gummies, has just landed in Boots and Holland & Barrett – a huge moment for the company, and one that speaks volumes about its growing mainstream appeal. In fact, getting into these retail giants is a signal that something has shifted – both for Nourished, and for the industry. "Make sure you have real conviction in your idea and its potential for growth. Nourished makes 3D-printed personalised nutrient gummies – something many people are unlikely to have heard of. In meetings looking for investment or with retailers, I've had to be very confident and well-researched about how my products could fill an important gap in the market." That confidence has been hard-earned. "It can be tough as a female founder, and you need to be ready to focus on building your confidence in your product and your resilience from the word go." Melissa's company is now not only a high-growth business, but a tech innovator. Its 3D-printed, customisable supplements are a standout example of deeptech meeting everyday wellbeing. But success didn't come overnight, and it certainly didn't come without resistance. "There's still a big disparity in access to capital for women-led companies in the tech sector. Female-founded deeptech start-ups get only 15% of funding at seed stage, and men get the other 85%." Despite these odds, Melissa secured a UK record for the largest seed round by a female founder in 2020. "Over the last four years, I've raised £18m in VC investment for my nutrition brand Nourished and its parent company Rem3dy Health." She credits much of her company's success to one bold decision: bringing manufacturing in-house. "Developing our own patented 3D printing technology and being able to make all our products in-house has been pivotal. It allowed us to stay fully operational during COVID-19 and, since then, has reduced reliance on external supply chains when there has been so much disruption in the world. It allows for the rapid product innovation that has kept us ahead of competitors, too." Melissa's approach to tech is hands-on and unorthodox, and she's the first to debunk a major myth about who gets to lead in this space. "That you need a conventional STEM degree or formal training to lead a tech business… When I began developing our 3D printing technology, I didn't come from a traditional engineering background. I taught myself everything I could, breaking down 3D printers on my kitchen table, rebuilding them from scratch, and learning how each component could be optimised for personalised nutrition manufacturing." That kind of problem-solving mindset, she believes, is more important than pedigree. "What matters most is not where your technical knowledge comes from, but how committed you are to understanding the details and solving problems creatively." She's also quick to point out that anyone today has access to the tools to learn. "With AI tools, open-source communities and platforms like YouTube, there's never been a better time to teach yourself something entirely new. You don't have to be trained in the old systems to build the next one." But even with her own success, Melissa hasn't forgotten how hard it can be to break into tech as a woman. That's why she continues to speak out – and lift others as she climbs. "I've been vocal in the press, on podcasts and in public speaking about improving access to finance and the need for women founders to mentor others. I've participated in initiatives like Invest in Women and Buy Women Built." She's also an advocate of peer support networks. "Building support networks of female founders in tech and other sectors can give a real boost to your confidence, too. Join and develop groups that provide you with encouragement, advocacy and advice from women who have already had inspiring success, such as By Women Built, of which I am a member." For Melissa, mentorship and mindset go hand in hand – and the key lesson is that your belief in your own business has to come first. "Approach conversations with investors with the belief that you are giving them an opportunity to be involved in a great business. They aren't doing you a favour." This self-assurance isn't arrogance – it's a hard-won antidote to a system that doesn't always back female founders. But it's also practical advice, especially in a landscape where unique ideas – like 3D-printed vitamins – can face skepticism. Now, with Nourished products hitting shelves in Boots and Holland & Barrett for the first time, her belief is paying off in a very tangible way. Not just in validation, but in access: more consumers than ever before can now pick up truly personalised nutrition at high street stores. Melissa's journey is proof that breaking down old systems – whether in technology, funding, or access – requires both grit and vision. She's built a business from the kitchen table to retail giants, and continues to push for a more inclusive future in tech. And while the business headlines may celebrate the Boots and Holland & Barrett win, the deeper story is one of resilience and reinvention. Because Melissa Snover didn't just build a product. She built the system to make it – and opened the door for others to follow.
