*HEALTHY PLANET’S DANFORTH STORE IN TORONTO, ON PHOTO: HEALTHY PLANET VIA FACEBOOK*

By Mario Toneguzzi

Toronto-based Healthy Planet is one of Canada’s fastest growing health and wellness retail chains and it’s planning further expansion in the Greater Toronto Area as well as across Canada.

With a vision and goal of helping people live healthier and greener lives, the company is looking at more store openings this year and into the future as it builds on its base of 25 current locations.

Syed Rizvi, Healthy Planet’s Director of Sales and Marketing, told Retail Insider that the company will be opening eight new stores in 2019 including Ancaster, Kitchener, Kingston, Barrie, two locations in Hamilton and two locations in Ottawa.

“In the next 10 years, Healthy Planet’s goal is to open 100 stores all across Canada,” he said, adding that in 2018 the company opened stores in Cambridge, Milton, Ajax and Aurora.

Healthy Planet’s first location was in a small kiosk in a mall on Danforth Avenue. It then opened its first store at the Parkway Mall in early 1998.

“Healthy Planet is your one-stop-shop for all your grocery, supplement, beauty and lifestyle needs. We offer the highest quality supplements, vitamins, health foods, bath, beauty and eco-friendly products at the lowest possible prices. We take pride in offering our customers access to in-store nutritionists who are friendly, honest and well-trained to help them make educated decisions and find products that are most suitable for their individual needs,” said Rizvi. “Additionally, we invite our customers to attend free classes and seminars,” he said in explaining how the company differentiates itself in the marketplace.

“At Healthy Planet, our goal is to make the world healthier and greener one day at a time. From the vitamins, supplements, produce, groceries and health foods we sell, to the socially responsible manufacturers and distributors we work with. We believe that even the smallest, simplest of positive actions every day can result in big changes toward a better, healthier life for yourself, for the planet.”

Rizvi said the company’s online reach and online sales continue to grow allowing it to serve more countries and it has become more focused on giving back to the community by becoming involved with initiatives, events and sponsorships in order to make a greater impact for people to live life healthy.

“Recently, the demand for healthier alternatives in the food, beauty and lifestyle categories has become increasingly popular with consumers wanting access to healthier, greener and more sustainable choices. Trends such as the keto and paleo diet, collagen, vegan options and allergen-free foods are increasingly popular with a focus on good quality ingredients,” he said.

*HEALTHY PLANET’S MILTON STORE IN TORONTO, ON PHOTO: HEALTHY PLANET VIA FACEBOOK*

“Consumers are looking for non-toxic beauty and personal products. All natural house and home cleaning products are becoming more popular as well.”

Rizvi said Healthy Planet is resonating with today’s consumer by creating a need for a healthy lifestyle and showing consumers that it is an absolute necessity. The company keeps up with the current trends consumers are exploring by stocking its shelves with those needs and wants.

“Our passion and mission is to continue ‘to help people live healthy and greener lives’ by providing them the access to the latest health information, products and professionals in the community or in-store, that can be a valuable resource for someone searching for answers to support a healthy lifestyle,” he added.

Mario Toneguzzi, based in Calgary has 37 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald covering sports, crime, politics, health, city and breaking news, and business. For 12 years as a business writer, his main beats were commercial and residential real estate, retail, small business and general economic news. He nows works on his own as a freelance writer and consultant in communications and media relations/training. Email: mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com.

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