Healthy Planet has opened its 36th store in Ontario on Yonge Street, near Yonge and Dundas Square. The store is the second in the chain to feature the Healthy Planet Kitchen. The first store with the Kitchen concept debuted at a new Ajax, Ont. store this past summer
The 7,500 sq ft two-storey location is the second downtown store designed to meet the needs of urban customers. The store carries more than 20,000 SKUs, including expanded pet food and sports nutrition areas.
Ashish Khera, head of marketing for Healthy Planet, says the chain has evolved from its health food origins to become a grocery store with a focus on health and wellness. Each store has a nutritionist to answer shoppers’ questions and some stores have three or four nutritionists, depending on the store size.
“Our customer base is everyone; it’s the consumer who is interested in living a healthier lifestyle and buying quality foods at the right price.”
He adds the Healthy Planet Kitchen is part of the chain’s transformation to offer customers more options in their pursuit of healthier living.
“Healthy Planet Kitchen is a separate entity from the rest of the store. Our executive chef Maria Mancuso has curated meals to suit different diets, such as allergen-free, and all the food used to make the dishes are made from items in our store; GMO-free ingredients, high welfare halal meats and organic produce.”
Healthy Planet plans to open two more stores over the next few months in Etobicoke and Mississauga.
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Extract from grocerybusiness.ca