Natural health retailers are creating flexibility in the face of tariff uncertainty
By Samuel Davis
Following a successful debut at CHFA NOW Vancouver last year, the Retailer Roundtable—hosted by Bruce W. Cole, editor and founder of CNHR—returned to this year’s trade show and was met with an overwhelming response from retailers.
At the 2025 CHFA NOW show, retailers were encouraged to participate and share their experiences in an idea exchange during a retailer roundtable. Attending retailers were split into five groups and each group was asked a question about the following pressing issues impacting the natural health retail industry: navigating tariffs and supply chain challenges, enhancing customer experience to drive sales, building and motivating high-performing teams, creating collaborative partnerships to boost growth, and innovating and adapting in a changing market.
In this first part of the retailer roundtable series from 2025, we will share insights on how retailers are navigating the ongoing tariff fluctuations and challenges in the supply chain. With ongoing uncertainty surrounding the border and tariffs with the US, retailers are choosing to do what they can to provide customers with clarity and choice.
The biggest challenge identified by retailers at the roundtable was the negativity or instability generated by sudden, unexpected, or uncontrollable price changes that might come with fluctuating tariffs, supply chain challenges, and cost uncertainties. One of the first points highlighted in the discussion was the need to communicate the cause of these price changes to consumers and to, whenever possible, offer customers a choice.
Communication is key
Shelf talkers with Canadian flags, maple leaves, or labels like “local” and “made in Canada” were a big discussion point—literally flagging for customers when a product may be cheaper or more expensive than other products on the shelves. Retailers suggested using maple leaf stickers or local labels applied directly to packages, bottles, and boxes as a mark of quality and desirability.
The key, as Randy Kuz, of Hedley’s Health Hut, explains, is that “customers are in a hurry” but still want to be informed: “How can they know what’s American and what’s Canadian?” It’s helpful for staff to themselves be informed on Canadian alternatives to tariff-affected American products (or American products generally) so that they can be available to inform customers. Some stores are putting up posters listing major Canadian brands at the front of their stores, while other stores are deliberately stocking Canadian alternatives adjacent to American products.
Another communication strategy discussed by retailers is the need for local and Canadian-made advertising that informs and reassures customers about the origins of their purchases. Now more than ever, customers are looking for a sense of authenticity and connection in their products and the people who make and sell them. Randy emphasized the need to “put yourself out there, whether as the owner or the staff, to create that relationship and be present on social media.”
Helping customers recognize and build their own relationships with local producers and retailers will not only help clarify why the pricing landscape has shifted, but also help the natural health and wellness sector to grow. In some ways, the current border troubles are an opportunity for the Canadian industry to showcase Canadian businesses—as CHNR has been doing by featuring local stores and brands that customers and retailers alike can patronize instead of purchasing US-made products from US-based chains.
Striving for tariff-proof
When it comes to pricing and availability, retailers have a few main priorities—first, to build and improve relationships with Canadian producers who offer local alternatives to American products; second, to negotiate deeper discounts with American producers to stay competitive and purchase American brands on sale; and third, to maintain relationships with American brands so that, when the tariffs normalize, retailers haven’t backed themselves into a corner.
The good news is that juggling these priorities does not mean retailers need to pick and choose between them. For the first objective, building stronger relationships with Canadian producers and suppliers is something that can benefit Canadian retailers long-term. As roundtable moderator Bruce Cole pointed out, “Buying Canadian seems to be a solution that will stay with us for a long time, regardless of what happens with the tariffs, which feel like they’re changing every twenty seconds.”
And for the second goal of keeping American products affordable for customers, the challenge for retailers isn’t fundamentally different from what it was before—looking for discounts and managing inventory—the difficulty of that challenge, however, has ramped up. Retailers are already familiar with strategies like buying products on sale or asking suppliers and producers for deeper discounts. New strategies, like thinning inventory to absorb rising costs or asking suppliers to report changes if a new tariff affects their product, can also help.
Judgement-free empowerment
The last objective—to maintain positive relationships with American brands despite the tariffs—is particularly important because, while buying Canadian is likely to persist as a movement, not everyone will want to experiment with new products. As Dawn Matte, of Ave Maria, puts it, “For some customers, if they found a product that works for them, they don’t care where it comes from. So, we’ve been careful not to be negative about American products.” Instead, Dawn suggested focusing on promoting Canadian brands and products positively in order to empower customers who do care.
That fine balance to strike—between promoting Canadian products and brands without alienating American brands or their shoppers—seems likely to be an ongoing challenge for retailers in the months and years to come. At the end of the day, it’s important to leave the choice in the hands of the customers themselves.