How Holland & Barrett
cut operational training costs by £90k annually

“We were very thorough in the way we analysed the market for a new LMS. We could have just found three solutions and picked the best. But to prove the value of what we wanted beforehand – it was definitely time well-spent.”

Robert Sidley, Head of Training, Content and Quality, Holland & Barrett

Industry

Retail

Use case

Workforce Training

Solution

Hubken LMS

Outcomes at a glance

£90,000 annual cost savings

No. Users

50,000 learners

Sector/Use Case

Phuong Hong Nguyen

Digital Marketing Executive

How Holland & Barrett increased knowledge retention by 20% and saved £90k annually with Hubken LMS

Holland & Barrett is one of the world’s largest and most established health and wellness retailers, operating more than 1,000 stores across 16 countries, alongside a growing digital commerce presence.

The company specialises in vitamins, supplements, minerals, natural health products, and lifestyle wellness solutions, serving millions of customers every year. Its retail model is built around providing trusted, accessible health advice, with a strong emphasis on customer education and personalised support in-store.

A key part of this approach is ensuring that frontline colleagues are highly trained and confident in providing accurate, evidence-based guidance. To support this, Holland & Barrett runs structured learning and development programmes such as “Qualified to Advise,” which standardises product knowledge and customer advisory skills across its global workforce.

As the business continues to expand internationally, learning and development plays a critical role in maintaining consistency, improving customer experience, and ensuring that all colleagues, regardless of location can deliver the same high standard of health and wellness advice.

The Challenge

Holland & Barrett’s existing learning system had become outdated and increasingly inefficient.

  • The legacy LMS functioned mainly as a document repository with limited functionality
  • There was no effective reporting or insight into learning performance
  • Admin teams were spending significant time manually processing reports (around 8 days per month)
  • The platform was costly despite lacking modern features
  • The system could not support the company’s ongoing international expansion plans
  • Training delivery and performance tracking were difficult to scale across 1,000+ stores

 

The organisation needed a modern, scalable learning solution that could improve visibility, reduce manual workload, and support global retail growth.

The Solution

Holland & Barrett partnered with Hubken to implement a flexible Hubken LMS designed to improve both learning delivery and business insight.

Key elements of the solution included:

  • Replacement of the legacy system with a modern, scalable LMS
  • Rapid implementation delivered in just 6 weeks
  • Advanced reporting and analytics to track learner performance and identify gaps
  • Digital delivery of the “Qualified to Advise” training programme across all stores
  • Reduced reliance on in-person training through online and remote learning capabilities
  • Flexible system design to support ongoing international expansion
  • Ongoing hosting and technical support to ensure system reliability

“We were very thorough in the way we analysed the market for a new LMS. We could have just found three solutions and picked the best. But to prove the value of what we wanted beforehand – it was definitely time well-spent.”

Robert Sidley
Head of Training, Content and Quality, Holland & Barrett

The Impact

The new learning platform delivered measurable improvements across performance, efficiency, and cost:

  • +20% increase in knowledge retention (from 53% to 73%), strengthening colleague confidence and product knowledge in-store
  • 78% achievement of internal learning efficiency goals, with managers and teams saving time through remote learning and reduced in-person training
  • £90,000 annual cost savings through reduced operational and training delivery costs
  • Improved consistency of training delivery across a large, distributed retail workforce
  • Greater flexibility in how colleagues access learning across locations and shifts
  • Reduced reliance on manual training processes and physical learning environments
  • Stronger ability for L&D teams to track and optimise training effectiveness

Holland & Barrett now operates a more efficient and data-driven learning ecosystem that supports consistent training across its global retail network.

The organisation has improved colleague knowledge, reduced operational costs, and gained the flexibility needed to support continued growth and evolving retail demands.

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