Trailblazing health and wellbeing retailer Planet Organic has acquired As Nature Intended, the chain of seven London-based organic and natural food stores.
Planet Organic has targeted opening ten new stores in the Greater London area within next five years. In 2019 Planet Organic opened a new store in Queen’s Park, North London, taking its shop count to eight. Now, with the purchase of As Nature Intended, the retailer increases its store count to become the largest specialist organic grocer chain in the UK.
Planet Organic was founded in 1995 by Renée Elliott and in 2018 Inverleith LLP became the majority shareholder to help expand the Company’s growth. As Nature Intended was founded in 1999.
Planet Organic’s chairman, Ben Thomson, says: “This deal allows us to further the mission of Planet Organic to provide food and products that are healthy for our customers as well as healthy for the planet. We share a similar outlook to As Nature Intended, a company which, like Planet Organic, promotes wellness with high environmental standards. Both organizations believe the future of High Street retailing is in providing experience-based shopping for the communities where we are located.
Both organizations believe the future of High Street retailing is in providing experience-based shopping
“In the short term our primary focus is to make sure we are there to support our customers, and the customers of our newly acquired stores, through the coronavirus outbreak. We have a very knowledgeable staff who can help answer questions on what foods, supplements and lifestyle changes we can make to help to boost immunity and general wellbeing.
“In the longer term this acquisition allows Planet Organic to grow quickly into locations we have already identified as ideal for our brand. With the addition of As Nature Intended stores, we will be the largest organic grocery chain in the UK with plans to grow further as the popularity of healthy foods continues.”
Planet Organic’s CEO, Peter Marsh (pictured left), says: “Planet Organic is the original organic supermarket chain in the UK. There is nothing we like more than to see our customers relaxing and chatting over a cup of coffee, an immune boosting juice, or helping them to shop in an environmentally friendly way, enjoying our unpackaged products, home-compostable packaging and zero-food waste policies. Ours is the sort of shopping that is the future of the high street. We are looking forward to providing this Planet Organic approach into the newly acquired stores in new communities.”
Caroline Gooding, As Nature Intended owner and CEO, who now steps down from her role, comments: “Planet Organic is an amazingly complementary business, operating similar stores in London, with limited overlap with our own premises, and most importantly pursuing a similar mission and sharing our core values.
“While I am naturally sad to have reached the end of this 20-year adventure, I firmly believe that stepping back now is in the best interests of the As Nature Intended business, my colleagues and our customers. I am confident that I am passing the company into highly capable and committed hands, and that its new owners will be able to make the most of the opportunities for what now becomes the biggest and best operator in this market.”
