The specialty retail health food store industry is growing rapidly.  There are many large companies that are trying to get into the business.  As a small business owner it is important that you focus on aspects that will help you to stand out.  There are many offerings you can feature in your store that help drive revenue.

Deli

Having a deli that serves organic meats and cheeses is a great way to increase revenue.  While most health food stores do not offer many perishable items, having a delicatessen increases your potential customer base.  Customers that come in just to buy the organic meats and cheeses are likely to purchase other items within your store.   Offering healthy sandwiches and other items that pair the different products that your store sells is one of the best ways to get customers to try something new.

Imported Items

Offering specialty items from across the world adds variety and spice to your business.  Many different healthy foods and drinks can be tough to find in the United States.  Finding these items and promoting them properly can breed loyal customers as your store may be the only one that sells them.  Many people are willing to pay a premium for higher quality.  Some examples include organic pastas directly from Italy or teas from Japan or England.  There are also many fruits and vegetables that you can import that are not offered at traditional grocery stores.  Having these items in your inventory will make your store truly special.

Supplements

The supplement industry on it’s own is booming.  With the busy world of today, many people’s diets are lacking the nutrition they require.  There are a lot of items out there that may not truly be healthy for people.  Having a variety of natural supplements offers a significant revenue source.  Most of these items are non-perishable so you won’t have to worry about shelf life.  Being able to cater to all of your customers health food needs will keep your customers from straying to other businesses.

Nutrition Consultants

Having in house experts to coach customers into a healthy lifestyle can make your health food store one of a kind.  You can approach this a couple of different ways.  You can have certain days set up where you have guest nutritionist that can consult customers, or you can hire full time staff that has a health education background.  It is also important that your core team members are very familiar with your products as many people may not have ever heard of some of your offerings.

Strategic Partnerships

There are many aspects to a healthy lifestyle. Your health food store can offer a piece of the puzzle, but what if you could help your customers get more of the pieces? You can have outside vendors from gyms visit the store and have small table events, for example. Another good idea that associates you with good health would be to offer discounts to customers that have gym memberships in the area. Developing these types of business relationships open the door for many different cross promotions.  Since your target audience is very much the same, any time and money you put into these ventures will be greatly profitable.  You may also consider partnering with local restaurants and cafés to further the reach of your products. 

Recipe Cards

There are many people looking to lead a healthier lifestyle that may not know how to start.  A great idea to educate them and also promote your items is to offer recipe cards.  These cards should pair the different products that your store offers, which will drive up revenue. 

Getting Your Store Up To Speed

Making sure your store offers a variety of products and is keeping up with current trends is essential to a thriving business.  Quikstone Capital Solutions has helped hundreds of specialty retail stores including health food stores like yours. A merchant cash advance from Quikstone Capital Solutions can give your health food store the leverage it needs to grow.