Retailer of the Week: Ruthin Wholefoods

Can you tell us a little bit about your shop?

I purchased the shop in December 2015 as an ongoing concern. It has been a Health Food Shop for many years and I didn't want to see the shop closing, as it is important to keep the community spirit alive. It is a good place to have a chat and ask advice. Ruthin is a pretty medieval town in North Wales which is steeped in history and we have to keep the individual retail shops going to welcome people to our lovely town.

What's the best part of owning a health food store?

It makes me happy when I hear people saying that they were so pleased that we kept the shop going. Personally I wanted people to have the opportunity to carry on buying what they were used to like organic products or specialist food products.

I have a special interest in the tablets and tinctures that we sell and it pleases me when they come back for another supply if a recommendation has worked for them. The same goes with the food section and we are continually looking for interesting products to sell.

What's the most difficult part of owning a health food store?

The difficult part for me is knowing what will interest the customers. They tend to know what they want when they come through the door. But we do have promotional days for new products on the last Thursday of the month and I've considered doing a survey to ask people what they would like to see for sale in the shop.

And Megan does a fine job in promoting products on the Facebook account. We have just launched an Instagram account @ruthinwholefoods, so hopefully that will catch the eye of customers new and old.

Why do you like to stock Clearspring products?

Clearspring products are very well packaged and clear. I especially like the Tamari Roasted Sicilian Almonds. Being gluten free is an added bonus and being part of the Organic Soil Association is important for us and our customers.

Is there an event/promotion coming up in your shop/village/area that you would like people to know about?

On Thursday 29th June our promotion features two new lines of ice cream we are stocking. Booja Booja ice cream and also Chilly Cow ice cream which is a local supplier from a nearby village. We will be doing taster sessions and possibly a survey and a free raffle prize

Whats your one tip for living a happy, healthy life?

Keep calm. Keep on smiling. And drink plenty of water.

www.facebook.com/RuthinWholefoods