Healthspan plans global expansion with products

The vitamins and supplements business has opened up logistics operations and websites in Ireland and New Zealand alongside new websites in Australia, in addition to its two UK websites.

This expansion is alongside the ongoing development of both physical and online sales channels, including its Elite sports nutrition range.

Healthspan chief executive officer Martin Talbot, pictured, who joined in April 2020, said expansion was being driven by a focus on the business being both a retailer – in that it sold direct – and a brand whose products consumers wanted to access anywhere.

A multi-channel approach was key, he said, with about five million product units – which could range from dozens to hundreds of individual tablets in a box – set to be sold this year. Gross revenue for Healthspan, which employs about 100 people in Guernsey, is expected to be ‘just north of £60m.’ in 2021.

‘We did have an international business but we weren’t driving international as a channel. In the last 12 to 18 months what we have done is we’ve created an avenue by which we can operate internationally,’ he said.

That work has seen a logistics fulfilment business set up in Ireland as well as a healthspan.ie and healthspanelite.ie websites to service that community directly.

‘That had a knock-on benefit from the point of views of trade and business orders for Europe after Brexit because we could service them from that environment rather than the UK, which is a bit easier for us in some instances.’

Healthspan’s Elite range had also given the company an opportunity to access international markets with a particular proposition.

‘As part of that we developed a relationship with the New Zealand All Blacks. So we are their nutrition partner. To support them in that, we needed in-country fulfilment,’ said Mr Talbot.

‘So we’ve got logistics capability in New Zealand now, and we have a healthspanelite.nz website.’

Additional website healthspan.nz was also being launched, with Australia also the focus of growth.

He proudly noted that Healthspan had expanded its web presence from a UK healthspan and an elite website to two websites in Ireland, two in Australia and two in New Zealand. These countries were all English-speaking, which Mr Talbot said was important for Healthspan because it helped with the compliance of products and understand regulations.

Healthspan’s multi-channel approach has seen relationships developed with physical retailers such as Boots, Superdrug and Lloyds – ensuring Healthspan’s ‘bricks and mortar footprint’ was now more robust.

Alongside its direct online selling, products were also available on platforms such as Amazon Marketplace.

‘Accepting that we’re a brand meant that it doesn’t really matter where the sale comes from because as a brand we need to be accessible and affordable. So, it’s where can we go to,’ said Mr Talbot.