100% Success
(First published in The Herald Express, Devon - 21-04-07)
I mentioned last week that I was on my way to the Natural and Organic Product show in London. Now back, thoroughly up-to-date with the latest developments, and with the sweet taste of many a healthy treat dimming in my memory, I’m delighted to say that we have reason to be proud here in Torbay.
It’s a real pleasure to let you know that local health store - 100% Health in Paignton – have been crowned “the UK’s Best New Health Store”. The results were announced at the show and as you can imagine, proprietors Heather and Mark Hamilton are over the moon.
“Everyone at 100% Health is buzzing at the moment,” Mark tells me, whose retail outlet beat off hundreds of competitors from all over the UK, missing out by just half a point on becoming the UK’s overall Best Health store – a staggering achievement considering they’ve only been 100% for just 8 months.
“The award itself is testimony to all the staff’s hard work and efforts,” says Mark. “One thing we do is give our customers total customer care, time, and knowledge. I believe that one thing that wowed the judges was not just the great service, the phenomenal knowledge of the staff, or even the range and diversity of quality products, but the obvious passion we all have for helping people in a natural way.”
It seems the team at 100% don’t just sell products to people, or merely advise, they empower the customer with knowledge, lifestyle changes, information and sometimes just a shoulder to cry on. I know - I’ve been on the receiving end of their winning ways, although my nutritional requirements haven’t caused any tears as yet.
I have, however, got to be honest and tell you that I didn’t have Paignton down as the home of health-based retail innovation. But that’s just my conditioned thought processes at work. Why shouldn’t we have the best of what’s on offer in retail and in many other areas of our lives in the Bay?
We have a location, atmosphere and vibe to die for – it was great to see Devon being promoted so proudly in the national press last week - and I suspect the energy Mark and Heather bring to their business is exactly the sort of thing that’s needed to make Torbay a healthy living haven – where more people come to live life to the full.
100% Health is proactive and very modern in outlook - a little different to what a lot of people would expect from a stereotypical health store - a transferable lesson that I feel could make the Bay “a little different to what a lot of people would expect from a stereotypical” English seaside destination.
Their business seems to turn customers into friends; blessed as they are by a service ethic not only often missing round here, but across the whole country. Their award was apparently not only based on the recognition of this outstanding level of customer service, but also their range and quality of products, staff knowledge, shop design and layout, plus local community involvement.
For me, they represent the long-awaited evolution of health food retailing, which has shifted from the marginal domain of people with allergies, committed health-freaks and home-brewers, into an exciting environment that can, as Mark says, empower a more vibrant and vital way of life for everyone.
And their clientele are living proof: “Of our best selling products, there are those that help with the menopause to alleviate night sweats, hot flushes and improve libido. There are sports and bodybuilding products, as we are probably the biggest stockists in the South West, and it helps that three members of staff are qualified fitness instructors and personal trainers. And recently there has been a huge increase in our organic, natural body care ranges which are free of chemical nasties that can get absorbed into our skin,” recalls Mark.
It hasn’t been a breeze however. Despite interest in all things green, natural and ethical right now, health store industry insiders reckon this is probably the quietest time it has experienced since the early 90’s. Bucking that trend, 100% Health are clearly successful in attracting the sort of people who once may have feared an alien abduction or cult membership when setting foot inside a health store, attracting customers from 16 to 90 years of age.
Their aim “to make the health industry funky, modern and fresh” is now a reality; and, as Heather points out, they’re living up to their name: “we are 100% passionate and 100% committed to what we do.”
Building confidence by offering the new and nervy customer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on any products and a no quibble refund on anything returned for whatever reason, these guys – as the old cliché goes – “deserve to do well”.
I congratulate them on this prestigious award and admire their vision and contribution to the evolution of how we see food, make better nutrition choices and incorporate more natural products into our lives. They are there to help with the responsibility we all can take when it comes to investing in our own vitality. Well done to all involved; it’s great for them, but it’s also great for the Bay.
If you pop into 100% with your congratulations, they say they’ll give you a 10% discount on any purchase. Go on, give it a try and share in the celebrations!
