SINGAPORE - British health and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett has closed all 12 of its outlets in Singapore, marking an exit for the brand after almost two decades.
The closure was officially announced on its Instagram page on March 10, although it is believed that its physical stores across different malls had already begun shuttering as early as March 6.
When The Straits Times visited five outlets that day – at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 313@somerset, Isetan Scotts, Suntec City and Nex – the stores either already had their shelves emptied or were in the midst of packing up.
The storefront at Nex was subsequently boarded up on March 7.
The Holland & Barrett outlet at Nex in Serangoon was already boarded up when The Straits Times visited on March 7. It had been shuttered the night before, with a sign put up telling customers to visit the brand’s website for health and wellness news.ST PHOTO: AQIL HAMZAH
Meanwhile, the outlet at Ang Mo Kio Hub had a sign put up on March 7 informing customers that the store was “currently closed”, redirecting customers to hollandandbarrett.com “for the latest news in health and wellness”.
That same day, a Facebook user, who identified herself as an employee at Holland & Barrett, said that her peers were all surprised and unprepared for the closure.
“Everything happened so quickly, and it feels like a nightmare,” she said, adding that she had worked at the retailer for 12 years.
Customers were also not told in advance, said one regular, who did not want to be named.
He told ST that he had renewed his membership - worth $88 - for the year, and received two complimentary vouchers, valued at $150 each, which could be used until July 2025.
Expressing his unhappiness on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group on March 4, he said that Holland & Barrett should not have allowed new membership sign-ups or renewals for 2025 if it already planned to shut down.
The member also said that he had a suspicion that something was amiss when he noticed that items were not being restocked during a visit to an outlet on March 3, although staff members could not give him any further details.
Asked by ST if he had filed a complaint with the Consumers Association of Singapore, he said he had not, adding that he was concerned most about the welfare of the employees.
Queries sent to Holland & Barrett Singapore on March 6, including how many employees had been laid off, and if customers had been informed beforehand, were unanswered as at March 10.
ST has contacted the Ministry of Manpower for more information.
ST also contacted Jay Gee Enterprises, which owns a subsidiary, MA Supplements, that brought Holland & Barrett to Singapore in 2009.
On March 7, an announcement on the government’s e-gazette said the directors of MA Supplements had made a statutory declaration of its inability to continue its business because of its liabilities.
The declaration, made on March 4, marks the first step for a business to wind down, with meetings between the firm and its creditors scheduled for March 18.
A search of MA Supplements’ file with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority also showed that it was in the midst of liquidation as at March 4.
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