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Holland & Barrett, the international chain of health food stores, has announced expansion plans which will see the firm add almost 500 new full and part time retail jobs in the UK.

The company has just opened its 1,000 Holland & Barrett retail store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre and plans to open a further 70 new outlets in Europe with a total investment of £40 million. The announcement coincides with annual financial figures showing increased profits of 8 per cent at Holland & Barrett on a turnover of more than £500 million.

The chief executive of Holland & Barrett's parent company, Peter Aldis, said that the company was expanding in international markets as well as the United Kingdom, mentioning that the brand rades in territories as varied as Belgium, China, Iceland, Kuwait and Singapore.

Mr Aldis explained that one of the key factors behind the recent success of Holland & Barrett was consumers’ increased understanding of the long-term health risks of food staples such as sugar, salt, red meat and processed meats. The drift towards an all-round healthier lifestyle for UK shoppers is leading to consumer demand for more and more ‘free-from’ foods and beauty product items said Mr Aldis.

“Through a combination of acquisition and franchising we are now operating 80 stores in eight territories and plan this financial year to open a further 70 new European stores generating around 485 new jobs in the UK. Although the UK high street has been challenging these past few years I believe the retail health sector benefits from the resilience of the 'health pound' against other demands on consumers' wallets,” predicted Mr Aldis.

Although we don’t yet have exact details of the regional distribution of the new UK retail jobs at Holland & Barrett, one area that is expected to receive a significant proportion of future positions is Burton on Trent in Staffordshire where the company has a major distribution facility.

You can find out much more about retail work in the United Kingdom on our central page of Retail Jobs For Students. At the foot of that page you will also find and apply for live retail vacancies throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you already know the area where you want to work, then you can check if we have a dedicated retail jobs page for your town or city by having a look at our blogpost about Regional UK Retail Jobs.