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.

On a warm sunny morning in late September, the newly designed Vita Health Fresh Market in Osborne Village welcomed customers with a week-long celebration. Shoppers enjoyed deals, demos, and events held to celebrate the location’s renovation. It’s welcome timing for the Vita Health’s marketing manager, Kelly Lyons, who notes that the store’s makeover mirrors the area’s transformation.

 “The village used to be a bright, lively neighbourhood. Then, it started to change, with businesses closing or leaving,” explains Kelly. “Now, we’re seeing new buildings, new foot traffic and new life in the Village [...] the whole neighbourhood is experiencing rejuvenation.”

 The whimsical dreams of a child are often fleeting, innocent thoughts that eventually fade—but that wasn’t the case for Kim. The impact of visiting Westmount stayed with her. In 2006, after various other pursuits, Kim landed where she was likely always meant to be: as the founder of her own health food store.

Over the years, Montreal has been the source of many interesting store features in CNHR. Its early health food stores and the pioneers who opened them have a deep and rich history in the city.

 During a recent visit to “the City of Saints,” CNHR conducted one of its classic “pop-in” tours, getting out on the streets and visiting a few stores and a head office location.

 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.

Nicole Rumley had wanted to move her health food store for a long time, but she could not find the right spot.

 Until the day she found the right spot.

Last year, when Vicky Hachey decided to launch her own podcast Talk to Vicky, RHN: A Total Approach to Wellness, she saw it as the next logical step in her continuing journey in a career that spans almost three decades.

This is a big anniversary year for Lifestyle Markets in Victoria, BC. It was 30 years ago—in 1995—when Lifestyle Markets first opened on Victoria’s Douglas Street with the goal to offer natural and organic produce and groceries, supplements, vitamins, and bodycare products.

Following a successful debut at CHFA NOW Vancouver 2024, the Retailer Roundtable—hosted by Bruce W. Cole, editor and founder of CNHR—returned to this year’s show and was met with an overwhelming response from retailers.

After a lengthy career in leading and managing long-term care and retirement residences in Ontario, Steven Golden made his initial venture into the natural health retailing industry in 2022, when he purchased L’Amie de la santé in Hawkesbury, Ontario.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being integrated into almost every industry, from healthcare to finance. Natural health retailers, take note: it might seem intimidating, but AI presents a huge opportunity for small businesses to succeed. Here’s how you can use AI to grow without needing more resources (yes, really!).

For any reader with aspirations of someday owning their own health food store, or for those of you who are starting to think about a succession plan, you might be interested in learning about this Quebec store that planned and then executed a perfect transition.

Natural retailers are facing new challenges and opportunities when it comes to educating their customers. In this final part of the retailer roundtable series from 2024, we will share insights on consumer education and its impact on natural health retailers.

 At the 2024 CHFA NOW, held in Vancouver, 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 a pressing issue impacting the natural health retail industry—rent inflation, vendor relations, supply chain, ethical initiatives and sustainability practices, and consumer education. This issue’s summary is the last of those five discussions.

 In the March-April 2025 issue of CNHR, we discussed the topic of “ethical practices and sustainability initiatives” in detail. In this final part of the retailer roundtable series, we will share insights on consumer education and its impact on natural health retailers.

In 1992, Elite Nutrition began its journey of promoting health and wellness as Golden Health Food Centre in Golden, BC, before eventually evolving into one of the community’s most trusted destinations for their health needs.

In 2004, under the leadership of Mike and Linda Pecora, the store was rebranded as Elite Nutrition with a refined focus of providing supplements and natural body care. In 2024, Elite Nutrition celebrated its 20th anniversary.

At the 2024 CHFA NOW, held in Vancouver, 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 a pressing issue impacting the natural health retail industry—rent inflation, vendor relations, supply chain, consumer education, and ethical initiatives and sustainability practices.