Holland & Barrett wins Experience of the Month July!
20/8/2025
This month we travelled to Twente; the land of klootschieten (a traditional Dutch ball-throwing game), krentenwegge, and excellent customer service, because Holland & Barrett Hengelo wins our Experience of the Month award! Every month, our mystery shoppers visit hundreds of stores and hospitality venues, and from all these results we choose the most remarkable, customer-friendly or outstanding experiences. In July, this was without a doubt Holland & Barrett.
Expertise and great teamwork
Sincere interest, expert advice, and strong teamwork made this mystery visit stand out. Our mystery shopper wrote: “The employee showed great knowledge and professionalism. She asked good follow-up questions, which gave me the feeling she truly wanted to understand me. She could tell me a lot about the products without having to look at notes, so it was clear she really knew her stuff. I’ve never experienced this in a shop before. Very pleasant, and I would definitely recommend her as a salesperson!”
Our shopper eventually left the store with two new products: “Neither product was what I initially came for. Both the supplements and the tea were additional purchases. Because of the employee’s approach, it felt very natural and absolutely not like a sales trick!”
The result? A 100% score that perfectly reflects the service Holland & Barrett stands for. “I really didn’t realize it was a mystery shopper,” says Monique Naafs, senior sales assistant at Holland & Barrett Hengelo. “I’m honestly overwhelmed. Sometimes you think you know when you’re helping a mystery shopper, but this time not at all.”
Monique has worked at the Hengelo store for over 15 years.
“I find the mystery shopping research very valuable. You receive useful feedback and see where you can improve. Or you discover how to work together better as a team. Because you never do it alone, it’s always teamwork between colleagues and customers. There’s always room to fine-tune that.”
This visit also highlighted their teamwork. The employees complemented each other smoothly and asked for support when needed. Our shopper: “I really appreciated that the employees could build on each other’s input. It showed great expertise and collaboration!”
A perfect example of how strong teamwork can make the difference!
A bridge between stores and head office
Iris van der Hoeven, Training & Development Support Officer at Holland & Barrett, sees mystery shopping research as an important tool to understand what is going on. “At our company, it’s valuable to gain insight into how customers experience the store. We have a specific sales method, and it’s important to know how that is perceived. From our head office, I really try to play a supportive role in this and be the main point of contact for the stores.”
Iris is in frequent contact with the stores and keeps them informed about the research. “We always include a piece in our biweekly newsletter, when a round ends, in which we highlight certain stores. I use quotes from the research reports so that we can learn from one each other.”
Mystery shopping also helps determine focus areas for trainers. Iris:
“I share the research results with our trainers to further refine our Natural Services & Sales training methods. A calm, relaxed approach to the customer is what we aim for. This can then become a focus area for our trainers.”
The Hengelo report, according to Iris, is a textbook example: “This is exactly how we envision our sales training. We aim for at least 80% in the evaluations and actively encourage that. Winning this award is really special!”
A memorable shopping experience
Monique and her team show how important teamwork and genuine interest in the customer are. The result is not only a high score, but also a shopping experience that stays with the customer. Monique’s motto is simple but powerful: help people the way you would like to be helped yourself. “My tip for other stores? As a team, agree on what to do as soon as a customer walks in. Greet them, offer them a cup of tea, and approach them in a natural way.”
Congratulations once again to the entire team at Holland & Barrett Hengelo! A fantastic recognition of your expertise, customer-focused approach, and teamwork.
