1. and was committed to
training – that was 24
years ago and I didn’t
know much about the
industry, I just had a
keen interest in sports
and nutrition and
other supplements
and health foods,”
Wendy said.
The idea behind
Modern Herbals
came during her time
working at Cedar Health.
“I set up Modern Herbals as I was
working at Cedar Health and was
inspired by the late Keith Pollitt and his
story of bringing Bio-Strath to the UK
some 53 years ago,” she recalled. “There
wasn’t any opportunity at the time for
me to progress any further with Cedar
so I set up alone, finding and selling my
own products. I saw an opportunity in
the market for slimming products, which
was the trend in stores 10 years ago, and
still are.”
Then came her discovery of hyaluronic
acid, and after initially taking on an
American brand, Wendy decided to
develop her own range of products, and
the Syno-Vital brand was born. This
remains a crucial part of the Modern
Herbals business today. Over the years,
as well as developing her own brand,
Wendy distributes a host of others, with
her portfolio numbering around 40. As
if that wasn’t enough, she also stepped
in to buy Halifax Health Foods in 2005
following the tragic death of the owner,
and her friend, Andrew Haigh, and she
still owns the store today.
Since the creation of Modern
Herbals, the highlights, Wendy says, are
achievements the company has secured
through awards for the two products,
Hyaluronic Serum and Syno-Vital
Hyaluronan.
So, what is it that has kept her in the
industry for more than two decades?
“We have lovely and loyal retailers,
who boast fabulous stores,” she said,
adding: “What I enjoy most about
working in the industry is the people in
it, especially the customers. First and
foremost, I like to introduce innovative
products and there’s satisfaction in
helping consumers out there. I enjoy
my involvement in industry events,
committees and representing our
industry through my NAHS role.”
For the future, there’s plenty to
keep Wendy busy, as she and her team
continue to build the Syno-Vital brand.
“My day-to-day routine is most varied,
from office to retail store to field sales
across the country. We have a team of
nine, who are all fabulous girls,” she
added. hfb
46 www.healthfoodbusiness.co.uk
grafter
F
or someone who has spent
their whole working life in the
industry, it’s safe to say Wendy
Atkinson is pretty passionate about
what she does.
Many retailers will be familiar with
Wendy, both in her capacity as the
founder and Managing Director at
Modern Herbals, which was responsible
for introducing hyaluronic acid to the
market, but also as Chair of the National
Association of Health Stores (NAHS).
Wendy’s first role in the trade came
after Ruth Hawthorne took her on as a
sales rep at Brewhurst, and from there,
she hasn’t looked back, commenting:
“As this industry is, once I was in, it
was where I wanted to stay – I couldn’t
envisage ever working in any other
industry.”
After Brewhurst, where she worked
for four years, Wendy worked at Quest
Vitamins and Cedar Health, before going
on to start her own venture, Modern
Herbals, 10 years ago.
“I had a keen interest in health and
fitness and was a regular in the gym,
Wendy Atkinson
Eachmonth,theGrafterAwardlooksatanindividualinthenatural
healthindustry.ThisissueistheturnofWendyAtkinson,whois
notonlyfounderofModernHerbalsbutalsoChairoftheNational
AssociationofHealthStores.
Founder,ModernHerbals
Areyouournextgrafter?
TheGrafterAwardisopentoanyoneworkingwithin
thenaturalhealthindustry,whetheryouareahealth
storeworkernominatedbyyourboss,ormaybeasales
repwhohasimpressedaretailerwiththecustomer
serviceoffered.Thefeatureaimstogobehindthejob
titleanddiscoverwhattherolereallyentails,aswell
asgivingabitofaninsightintotheindividual.Ifyou
wouldliketonominatesomeonefortheGrafterAward,
logontowww.healthfoodbusiness.co.uk/grafter
andfillouttheonlineformoremailrachel.symonds@
healthfoodbusiness.co.uk
Whatisthebestthingaboutyourjob?
MyteamatModernHerbals,allthelovelygirls,
whoarehardworking,honestandreliable.Ialso
enjoyrepresentingourindustryinmyNAHS
role.
Whatistheworst?
Thefrustrationwiththecrazylegislationand
unnecessaryEUlawsandlegislation.
Describeyourselfinthreewords:
Motivated,ambitious,honest.
Musicaltastes?
Danceand‘60smusic.
Greatestambition?
Buildonourbrand,Syno-Vital,andenjoyearly
retirement!
Quick questions
grafter.indd 46 19/11/2014 12:30