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CHFA NOW Vancouver Strong Energy

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IHR Magazine
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CHFA NOW Vancouver 2026 has officially wrapped, and from the floor, the message was clear: Canada’s natural health and wellness industry is moving with confidence, focus, and sharper retail intent.

Held at the Vancouver Convention Centre, this year’s show delivered the kind of momentum the industry needed. The aisles were active, meetings were purposeful, and buyers came prepared to make decisions. From independents to larger retail groups, the tone was not just discovery, it was execution.

From the IHR Magazine perspective, what stood out most was the quality of conversation. Brands were not only pitching products, they were speaking the language of margin, velocity, consumer education, and shelf readiness. Retailers, in turn, were asking tougher questions about differentiation, pricing resilience, ingredient credibility, and packaging practicality. That is a healthy sign for the category.

The show floor reflected a market that is maturing while still making room for innovation. Functional wellness remained a major driver, but this year’s conversations felt more refined. Rather than chasing trends for trend’s sake, exhibitors were aligning with real consumer habits: long-term health support, simpler routines, cleaner formulations, and more intentional product choices.

One of the strongest undercurrents at the show was the continued shift toward practical wellness. Retailers are looking for products that are easy to explain and easy to integrate into everyday life. That includes formats consumers already understand, packaging that supports faster decision-making, and claims that are both compelling and credible. In a tighter economy, clarity sells.

There was also strong interest in products and positioning tied to the evolving GLP-1 conversation, especially around appetite support, metabolic health, protein-forward nutrition, and lifestyle management. Brands that approached the space with education and nuance, rather than hype, appeared to generate the most meaningful retailer engagement.

Innovation remained a major part of the Vancouver experience, particularly through emerging brand showcases and early-stage product launches. For IHR Magazine, this remains one of the most important reasons to attend CHFA NOW Vancouver: it is where the next wave of category growth often appears before it hits wider retail distribution.

Another clear takeaway was the resilience of Canadian retail. Buyers continue to be selective, but they are still buying when the value proposition is strong. The opportunity is there for brands that can support retailers beyond the product itself, with training, sell-through tools, and a clear understanding of what drives repeat purchase.

As the show closes, the industry now turns its attention to CHFA NOW Toronto this autumn. If Vancouver was any indication, the rest of 2026 will be defined by smarter assortments, more disciplined innovation, and a stronger focus on products that deliver both consumer trust and retail performance.

For the natural health channel, CHFA NOW Vancouver 2026 did not just showcase what is new. It showed what is ready.

Cellular Ageing as a Retail Category

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IHR Magazine
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A Canadian merchandising playbook for health retailers who want to lead longevity—without hype

Walk into any Canadian health store today and you’ll hear the same customer language, just dressed in different outfits: “I’m tired but wired.” “I want to age well.” “My skin looks stressed.” “I need to feel more resilient.” What’s changed is not the desire—it’s the framing. “Cellular ageing” is emerging as a retail-ready umbrella that captures energy, recovery, skin longevity, and long-term wellness in one concept that feels modern, premium, and preventative.

But cellular ageing only becomes a profitable category when retailers translate it into something shoppers can understand quickly and follow consistently. If it stays abstract—too science-heavy, too ingredient-led, too close to “miracle” territory—it turns into a shelf that gets browsed and rarely rebought. If it becomes a clear routine, supported by staff confidence and compliant language, it turns into a repeat engine.

This article shows how to build Cellular Ageing as a shoppable sub-category inside your store, how to structure it for conversion and repeat purchase, and how to keep trust intact with practical Canadian guardrails.

The retail definition that actually works

In clinical science, ageing is complex. In retail, clarity wins.

A useful definition for staff and signage is simple: cellular ageing is about supporting how the body’s cells create energy, manage daily stress, and maintain normal repair processes over time. That’s enough to anchor an education moment without overpromising, and it connects directly to what customers already buy. Most shoppers are not asking for mitochondria, senescence, or NAD pathways. They are asking for outcomes that correlate with those concepts: steady energy, better recovery, and skin that looks rested.

The insight for retailers is that “cellular ageing” is not a single-product story. It is a category system that can organize multiple proven needs-states into one premium, modern narrative.

Category reality check: is this a trend or a durable retail lane?

Cellular ageing has staying power because it aligns with three consumer behaviours that already drive sales in natural health retail.

First, it matches the shift from reactive shopping to preventative routines. Customers increasingly want to “stay well,” not just “fix a problem.” Second, it naturally bridges supplement shoppers and beauty shoppers through skin longevity and “beauty-from-within” routines. Third, it supports premium pricing when retailers position it as a structured program rather than a random assortment of bottles.

Where retailers get burned is when cellular ageing becomes a vague label slapped on anything “longevity.” That invites confusion, inconsistent staff messaging, and product claims that drift into credibility risk. The retailers who win treat it like category management, not trend-chasing: define the shopper promise, map the routine, curate the assortment, and train the staff.

The positioning that sells: build it as a sub-category, not a new aisle

For most stores, “Cellular Ageing” should not launch as a standalone department. It performs best when introduced as a clearly labelled sub-category within an anchor section customers already understand.

The most natural anchors are Healthy Ageing & Longevity, Energy & Performance, or Skin Health / Beauty-from-Within. Your choice depends on your store’s identity and traffic patterns. A longevity-first store will anchor it in Healthy Ageing. A sports-forward retailer can anchor it in Energy & Performance. A beauty-led store can anchor it under Skin Health and grow it outward from there.

The advantage of the sub-category approach is speed: customers find it without having to learn a new “department,” and staff can connect it to existing shopping missions in a single sentence.

The merchandising model: three pillars that customers grasp instantly

To make cellular ageing shop-friendly, organize it into three pillars that reflect how customers think about results. The pillar labels should be human and action-oriented, because language is conversion.

The first pillar is Cellular Energy. This is where customers look for daytime performance and that “clean energy” feeling. It’s the easiest entry point and often the highest-volume pillar.

The second pillar is Cellular Defence. Customers understand defence intuitively. They interpret it as protection from stress, environmental load, and the wear-and-tear of modern life. This pillar helps you bridge energy products with resilience products without turning the section into a random assortment.

The third pillar is Repair and Renewal. This is where repeat purchase lives because it connects to sleep quality, recovery, and skin appearance—domains where customers notice changes over 30–60 days when routines are consistent.

When you map the category this way, staff can explain it quickly and customers can self-select. More importantly, it allows you to build bundles that feel logical rather than salesy.

Assortment strategy: curate the routine, then choose the products

Retailers often start backwards: they stock what’s trending, then try to invent a story. Cellular ageing demands the opposite. Start with the routine and choose products that play distinct roles within it.

A strong launch assortment is intentionally tight. Aim for roughly 12 to 18 SKUs total so the section feels curated rather than chaotic. Within that, you want balance across the three pillars, with enough variety to accommodate different preferences and budgets without duplicating the same product role five times.

As you curate, prioritize role clarity. Each product should be easy to explain in one line. If staff need three minutes to describe why Product A is different from Product B, customers will either stall or choose price. Role clarity protects margin.

This is also where many retailers can elevate their brand mix. A cellular ageing section should feel premium, not gimmicky. Customers in this mindset are buying a long-term plan; they reward credibility, transparent labels, and consistent quality.

The conversion engine: make it a two-step routine, not a one-off purchase

Cellular ageing sells when it feels like a routine customers can adopt without friction.

A practical in-store structure is to present it as a simple two-step system, with an optional third step for high-intent shoppers. The first step supports day energy. The second step supports night recovery. The third step is a targeted booster tied to the shopper’s main goal, often skin, stress resilience, or recovery.

This framework increases basket size because the add-on feels like the next logical step, not a forced upsell. It also improves repeat because customers develop a habit: morning product, evening product, reassess at 30 days.

If your store has the capacity, you can formalize this into a “30-day cellular support” program. The difference between a program and a promotion is education. Programs build routine buyers. Promotions build deal buyers.

Staff training: the 30-second explanation that changes everything

Most cellular-ageing sections fail because staff don’t feel confident explaining them. Confidence is not optional here; it is the category.

Your goal is to give staff language that is clear, compliant, and repeatable. The best script is short enough to memorize and flexible enough to personalize.

A strong version sounds like this: cellular ageing is about supporting how your body produces energy, manages daily stress, and recovers over time. We organize it into Energy, Defence, and Repair. If you tell me your main goal—energy, skin, or recovery—I can map a simple routine you can follow for 30 days.

This script does three things. It defines the category in human language. It introduces the three-pillar structure so the shelf makes sense. And it asks a question that moves the customer from browsing to buying.

In-store communication: signage that sells without overclaiming

Your shelf header should do more work than your product labels. Avoid technical phrasing. Avoid “anti-ageing” as a headline, which can push the section into hype territory. Instead, define the section in terms of the three pillars.

A simple header that performs well is Cellular Ageing Support: Energy, Defence, Repair. Under that, a second line can explain what it means in everyday language: a curated routine for healthy ageing, resilience, and recovery.

Then create a quick “choose your path” selector that helps customers self-identify. This can be as simple as three prompts: “I want steadier energy,” “I want to age well,” “I want better skin and recovery.” Staff can use the selector to guide the interaction, and customers can use it to shop without feeling overwhelmed.

Profitability: where the margin and repeat purchase live

The cellular ageing customer is often willing to pay premium pricing, but only when the value proposition feels structured and credible.

Profitability comes from attachment and repeat, not just initial conversion. Your key metrics should include attachment rate (how often customers buy a second product), repurchase within 45–75 days, and sales per linear foot after you implement routine messaging.

Retailers should also watch for a common failure pattern: too many similar products that blur together. When everything looks like “longevity,” customers either freeze or choose the lowest price. When each product has a role in a routine, customers choose the routine.

Canadian guardrails: keep the category credible and compliant

Cellular ageing is fertile ground for exaggerated promises, and exaggerated promises destroy repeat purchase. Your long-term advantage is being the retailer that stays credible.

At store level, the safest policy is straightforward: sell licensed products as licensed and avoid creating claims that aren’t aligned with the label and product licensing. Train staff to avoid disease language and avoid absolutes like “reverse ageing.” Prefer language such as “supports,” “helps maintain,” and “supports normal function,” tied to the product’s intended use.

Also train staff on referral moments. Customers who are pregnant, managing complex conditions, taking prescription medications, or describing severe symptoms should be referred to a healthcare professional. This protects the customer and protects your store.

Trust is the asset in longevity retail. Your language policy is part of your merchandising strategy.

FAQs

Customers and search engines both reward clarity. Use these as copy-ready answers for your website, newsletter, or staff training.

What is cellular ageing support?
Cellular ageing support is a way to organize products that help maintain cellular energy production, daily resilience, and recovery processes over time, supporting a healthy ageing routine.

Is cellular ageing a real retail category?
Yes. It becomes a real category when retailers merchandise it as a clear sub-category under Healthy Ageing, Energy, or Beauty-from-Within, using routine-based education and compliant language.

How should a retailer merchandise cellular ageing?
Organize the section into three pillars—Energy, Defence, and Repair—then guide shoppers into a simple AM/PM routine with an optional booster based on their main goal.

When should customers expect results?
Set expectations around consistency. Most customers evaluate benefits over 30–60 days as habits build, rather than expecting overnight change.

At last

Cellular ageing is not a single ingredient, and it is not a one-shelf trend. It is a category umbrella that can unify energy, stress resilience, sleep, recovery, and skin longevity into a premium, routine-based program customers understand and rebuy.

Retailers who win this category do four things well. They make the concept human. They build a three-pillar structure. They curate a tight assortment with distinct product roles. And they train staff to guide customers into a simple routine using compliant language.

Do that, and cellular ageing becomes more than a buzzword. It becomes a repeatable merchandising system that grows basket size, protects trust, and positions your store as the place Canadians go to age well.

The Store That Beats the Scroll: Vitamin Shoppe®’s NYC Innovation Store

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IHR Magazine
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0

Why this Upper East Side opening matters, and what Canadian health food retailers can apply now

Online retail has made wellness shopping infinitely convenient, but it has also made it noisier, more confusing, and increasingly price-driven. Customers can find almost any supplement in seconds, compare ten brands in a minute, and still feel unsure at checkout. That uncertainty is the hidden cost of e-commerce: choice overload, inconsistent guidance, and the nagging fear of buying the wrong thing.

That is why the launch of Vitamin Shoppe®’s Innovation Store in New York City is worth a closer look. The story is not “brick-and-mortar is back.” The story is that physical retail can still win in wellness, but only when it becomes better at what the internet struggles to deliver: confidence, clarity, and human trust, delivered fast.

For Canadian health food retailers facing growing online competition, this opening is a reminder that the store is not just a distribution point. It can be a decision engine. It can be the place where customers stop browsing and start committing, because the experience helps them feel certain about what they are doing and why it fits their goals.

What this new format is signalling

The Innovation Store concept is built around one modern reality: customers do not simply want more products. They want fewer mistakes. In wellness, a purchase often represents a hope, a routine, and a personal promise. That makes the in-store experience uniquely valuable when it reduces confusion and turns a vague goal into a clear next step.

This store concept leans into guided discovery, pairing digital support with in-person expertise. The point is not flashy screens for their own sake. The point is to meet the shopper at the exact moment they would usually pull out their phone and fall into a rabbit hole of conflicting advice. When digital guidance is integrated into the aisle, it keeps the customer moving forward instead of drifting into “I’ll order it later” mode.

The store also treats community as a growth driver, not a seasonal add-on. A dedicated space for events and brand activations turns the location into a destination. In a category where trust is everything, live touchpoints compress the decision cycle. They replace weeks of online hesitation with a single, high-confidence moment.

Just as important, the format acknowledges that convenience is non-negotiable. The best physical stores do not fight e-commerce habits; they absorb them. If a customer wants advice in person but reorders online, the relationship still belongs to the retailer who made the first decision feel safe and simple.

The real competitive threat is not online retail, it is indecision

Canadian retailers often frame online competition as a price war. But the deeper problem is the loss of certainty. When customers feel unsure, they delay, downgrade, or abandon the purchase entirely. They either buy the cheapest option to reduce regret, or they buy nothing. That hurts both revenue and margins.

This is where a modern store can pull ahead. A well-designed in-person experience creates what online shopping rarely provides: immediate clarity. When a shopper walks out with a plan that makes sense, they are far more likely to return for refills, add complementary items, and trust the store’s recommendations over future algorithms.

In other words, the winning store is the one that makes choosing feel easier than scrolling.

The Canadian opportunity hiding in plain sight

Canadian health food retailers have a structural advantage that pure online sellers struggle to match: proximity, familiarity, and repeat relationships. Your best customers are often local. They want routines they can sustain. They value continuity. That means your store can become their wellness “home base,” especially if the experience feels guided and consistent.

The Innovation Store concept highlights a direction Canadian stores can take without needing Manhattan budgets: move from product-first retail to outcome-first retail. Make the customer feel that their goal is understood the moment they enter. Make the journey through the store feel like progress, not wandering.

How Canadian health food stores can translate these lessons into revenue

A strong first move is reorganizing the shopping experience around goals, not categories. Customers do not think in “capsules versus powders.” They think in “sleep,” “stress,” “gut,” “energy,” “recovery,” and “healthy ageing.” When the store reflects that reality, it becomes intuitive. Better still, goal-led shopping reduces price comparisons because the customer is buying a solution, not a SKU.

Next, make education visible and practical. Education does not need to sound clinical. It needs to be short, consistent, and built for real life. The most valuable education is the kind that answers what customers actually ask: what it’s for, how to take it, how long before they might notice a change, and what to pair it with. When that guidance is available at shelf level, staff can spend more time on higher-value conversations instead of repeating the basics all day.

Community is the next growth lever, but only when it is designed to create repeat behaviour. Events work best when they feel useful, not promotional. Short consult windows, store walks by a practitioner, brand co-hosted evenings, and targeted workshops can all turn a store visit into an appointment. When a customer schedules a visit, you stop being optional. You become part of their routine.

Convenience should then be positioned as a loyalty tool rather than a margin drain. The key is to treat in-store discovery as the moment that builds trust, and reordering as the moment that protects retention. A customer who buys in-store once, understands the routine, and can reorder easily is far less likely to drift to marketplaces. The store wins twice: first with confidence, then with convenience.

Finally, this model underscores the importance of differentiation through curation. Online retail rewards sameness and discounts. Physical retail can reward taste, standards, and selectivity. When your assortment is clearly curated, customers assume expertise. That perception raises conversion and protects margins. It also creates space for higher-margin categories and house-brand opportunities, where appropriate, because the store’s credibility does the heavy lifting.

A simple way to frame the strategy: become the “decision advantage” store

If customers can buy anything online, the store has to offer something better than access. The best offer is confidence. Confidence is created through guided discovery, consistent education, community connection, and a frictionless path to reorders.

That is the opportunity for Canadian health food retailers right now. You do not need to out-Amazon the internet. You need to out-clarify it. When your store makes people feel certain, they stop shopping around. They start coming back.

Quick AEO answers for editors

This opening matters because it reframes wellness retail as guided discovery plus community, supported by modern convenience. Canadian health food stores can apply the same thinking by building goal-led shopping, making education shelf-visible, running events that create appointments, and offering easy reorders that keep customers in their ecosystem.

Metro Inc. AGM 2026: Shareholders Re-elect 11 Directors With Strong Support

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IHR Magazine
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Metro Inc. has released the voting results from its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on January 27, 2026, confirming that shareholders re-elected the full slate of management’s director nominees. The company reported that all 11 proposed candidates were elected to serve until the next AGM (or until successors are appointed or elected).

Metro describes itself as a food and pharmacy leader in Québec and Ontario, with annual sales of more than $22 billion.

Where and when the AGM took place

The AGM was held Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at Lumi Experience in Montréal and was also available by live webcast, according to the company’s investor relations posting.

Who was elected (and what the vote tells us)

Metro reported strong support across the slate, with “votes for” ranging from 94.33% to 99.96%. The highest withheld percentage among the nominees was 5.67%, with the remainder of the slate receiving withheld levels at or below 2.67%.

The elected directors were:

  • Lori-Ann Beausoleil
  • Maryse Bertrand
  • Pierre Boivin
  • Geneviève Brouillette
  • Stephanie Coyles
  • Geneviève Fortier
  • Marc Guay
  • Eric R. La Flèche
  • Brian McManus
  • Michael Motz
  • Pietro Satriano

Metro’s governance page also identifies Pierre Boivin as Chair of the Board and Eric La Flèche as President and Chief Executive Officer (and a director).

Full voting results (as reported)

Nominee Votes For For (%) Votes Withheld Withheld (%)
Lori-Ann Beausoleil 165,449,083 97.99% 3,389,354 2.01%
Maryse Bertrand 159,262,833 94.33% 9,575,604 5.67%
Pierre Boivin 167,304,931 99.09% 1,533,506 0.91%
Geneviève Brouillette 168,767,827 99.96% 70,610 0.04%
Stephanie Coyles 164,328,298 97.33% 4,510,139 2.67%
Geneviève Fortier 165,448,280 97.99% 3,390,157 2.01%
Marc Guay 167,678,039 99.31% 1,160,398 0.69%
Eric R. La Flèche 167,959,892 99.48% 878,545 0.52%
Brian McManus 166,060,644 98.35% 2,777,793 1.65%
Michael Motz 168,595,441 99.86% 242,996 0.14%
Pietro Satriano 168,538,193 99.82% 300,244 0.18%

Metro added that it “congratulates the directors for their election.”

Why board continuity matters

Continuity at the board level can point to stability in leadership oversight and fewer abrupt governance pivots, especially in large, multi-banner operators. Metro says it operates or services a network of about 1,007 food stores and 637 drugstores, spanning banners that include Jean Coutu and Brunet, and employs more than 97,000 people.

Metro’s investor relations page lists the next AGM date as Tuesday, January 26, 2027.

Skin Meets Gut: The New Sales Playbook Behind Holistic Aesthetic Care

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IHR Magazine
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The skin–gut connection has become a buying trigger, not just a wellness idea

The skin–gut conversation used to live in niche corners of functional nutrition and integrative skincare. Now it shows up where retail decisions actually happen: at the shelf, in the treatment room, on TikTok search, and inside the customer’s own pattern recognition. Shoppers are increasingly convinced their skin is not a standalone surface problem. They see it as a dashboard that reacts to what they eat, how they sleep, how stressed they are, and whether their digestion feels “off.”

That shift is quietly changing the way people shop. Instead of hunting for a single “miracle” product, they are building a personal system. They want fewer steps, clearer roles, and outcomes that feel predictable. They also want the story to make sense. When a customer believes their breakouts are linked to gut upset, or that dryness worsens when digestion is sluggish, they become far more open to a routine that includes ingestibles and habits alongside topical care.

For marketers, this is the moment to stop treating beauty-from-within as a side category. It is becoming a conversion language that lifts multiple aisles at once, especially where natural health meets skincare. For retailers, it is a rare opportunity to increase average order value without relying on discounting, because the purchase logic is additive: the routine only feels complete when it includes more than one element.

Routine architecture is the merchandising move that turns interest into higher baskets

If you merchandise the skin–gut connection like a single SKU story, you will get curiosity and low conversion. If you merchandise it like a routine, you will get commitment. The winning retail layout is not “a collagen shelf” or “a probiotics shelf.” It is a small destination that visually communicates a three-part system: a topical foundation, an ingestible support, and one simple habit that makes the customer feel in control.

This approach works because it mirrors how shoppers think in 2026. They want a plan they can follow, not a product they have to “figure out.” The best retailers are building micro-collections that feel prescriptive without sounding clinical. The language is consumer-friendly but intelligent: “barrier support,” “calm and balance,” “microbiome-aware,” “texture and glow,” “sensitive and stressed.” It feels like modern wellness, not old-school supplement talk.

Place matters. In natural health, digestive support is already a high-frequency aisle with strong repurchase behaviour. That makes it the best gateway to beauty outcomes. A cross-merchandising bridge between gut and skin creates a natural flow: digestion first, appearance second, with the routine tying them together. If you run e-commerce, the same structure should appear on the page as a “complete routine” module that makes the add-on feel logical rather than salesy.

The most important merchandising detail is expectation-setting. Beauty-from-within products often need weeks of consistency to feel meaningful. When staff and signage clearly communicate a realistic timeline, returns drop, trust rises, and repeat rates improve. In-store, a simple “start here” routine card can do more than a dozen product claims because it gives the shopper a next step that feels doable.

Marketing that converts sounds scientific, stays human, and never overpromises

The skin–gut trend is powerful, but it is also easy to ruin with sloppy claims. Shoppers are more informed than ever, and they punish exaggeration. Your marketing has to thread a needle: credible enough to feel evidence-led, simple enough to be understood in five seconds, and careful enough to stay compliant.

The best-performing message format right now is mechanism-first storytelling, because it lets you sound smart without claiming to treat anything. You are not selling “a cure for acne.” You are selling a routine that supports balance and comfort in a way that many customers associate with clearer-looking skin. That distinction is everything.

To make this work, marketers should build creative around three ideas: “support the barrier,” “support balance,” and “support consistency.” Those ideas can live across packaging, PDPs, shelf talkers, and staff scripts without turning into medical claims. They also scale beautifully into content, because they give you a framework for education without sounding like a lecture.

This is also where AEO matters. People are asking the same questions repeatedly in search and social search, and the brands that answer clearly win attention and trust. You can embed the answers directly in your product pages and landing pages in a natural, magazine-like way. A customer is essentially asking, “Does gut health affect skin?” Your copy should respond like a calm expert: the gut and skin communicate through inflammation and microbiome pathways, and some people notice their skin changes when their digestion, sleep, or stress shifts. Then you pivot to routine: start simple, choose a plan, be consistent, track what changes.

The content strategy that performs best is not flashy ingredient obsession. It is routine-led content that makes the shopper feel guided. Think “the minimalist routine for reactive skin,” “the glow routine for people who hate complicated skincare,” “the travel routine for digestion and breakouts,” “the post-treatment routine for calmer-looking recovery.” These themes sell because they mirror real life.

How to turn the trend into repeat customers, premium positioning, and measurable growth

Holistic aesthetic care is not just a trend; it is a retail model that can improve margins when executed well. The reason is simple: routines drive attachment, and attachment drives repeat. When customers buy a single product, you are competing on price and novelty. When customers buy a routine, you are competing on trust and results they can stick with.

Start by deciding what “good” looks like for your store. If you want this category to be a growth engine, measure routine attachment rate, not just unit sales. Track how often a shopper who buys a beauty-from-within item also buys a topical companion, and how often they repurchase within 30, 60, and 90 days. This category is habit-driven, so retention becomes your scoreboard.

Next, modernise the premium story. The skin–gut narrative naturally supports a higher-value positioning because it frames beauty as whole-person care rather than surface correction. That makes it easier to sell quality, testing, transparency, and regimen simplicity. In other words, you are not asking customers to spend more because the product is “stronger.” You are asking them to spend smarter because the routine is clearer and easier to sustain.

Finally, train your team to sell confidence, not complexity. Most customers do not want ten options. They want one good plan. The role of the associate is to reduce uncertainty: pick the routine that matches the customer’s priority, set expectations, and provide a simple tracking habit. When the shopper feels guided, conversion rises and returns fall, because the purchase feels intentional.

If you want a single sentence that captures the opportunity, it is this: the skin–gut connection is transforming beauty retail from product-selling into routine-building. The retailers who embrace that shift will not only sell more, they will sell better.

Pepzyme AG and the New Collagen Playbook for GLP-1 Nutrition

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IHR Magazine
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The GLP-1 era is rewriting what “support” means

GLP-1 medications have moved metabolic health into the mainstream, and that shift is now influencing the supplement aisle as much as it’s shaping clinical conversations. As more consumers adopt GLP-1 therapies for weight management, brands are being pushed to think beyond generic “protein” messaging and build solutions that match the real-world needs that show up once appetite changes. Smaller meals, inconsistent protein intake, and digestive discomfort can make it harder for users to hit daily targets, even when motivation is high.

At the same time, the most commercially important insight for brands is this: weight loss is not the only outcome that matters. Many users are actively looking for ways to preserve lean mass and support structural health while they reduce body weight. That creates a clear opening for collagen, but only if collagen can be positioned with a stronger nutritional rationale than beauty alone.

Why collagen needs a smarter digestion story

Collagen has become a staple ingredient because it’s familiar, easy to formulate, and widely associated with hair, skin, nails, joints, and mobility. But in the GLP-1 context, the conversation is evolving. Collagen is being reframed as a protein source that could play a structural role during periods of reduced intake, when muscle and bone support become more top-of-mind.

The challenge is that consumer demand has matured. Today’s metabolic-health shopper wants evidence and mechanism, not a broad promise. That’s where the digestion narrative becomes central: collagen only becomes truly useful when it’s broken down into peptides that the body can absorb and utilize efficiently. If digestion is compromised, or if the protein isn’t being broken down as well as it could be, the value proposition weakens.

Pepzyme AG is being positioned as a direct response to that gap, offering a formulation approach that focuses less on “add more collagen” and more on “help the collagen you already use perform better.”

What Pepzyme AG adds to the formulation conversation

Pepzyme AG is a proteolytic enzyme blend designed to support collagen breakdown during digestion and increase the release of low-molecular-weight peptides. In practical terms, the story is simple: it aims to help collagen turn into smaller, more bioactive fragments that are easier for the body to use.

The ingredient’s key claim is that it enhances collagen digestion under a standardized, widely recognized in vitro digestion model. The relevance for product developers is not academic. Standardized digestion methods have become increasingly important because they allow brands to speak about digestion performance in a way that’s more consistent and comparable than older “in-house” models. For marketing teams, that translates into a clearer scientific backbone for premium positioning.

Beyond improved breakdown, the more commercially distinctive angle is peptide function. Pepzyme AG is associated with increased release of peptides that demonstrate improved DPP-IV inhibitory activity in vitro. That matters because DPP-IV is the enzyme that breaks down endogenous GLP-1 in the body. While in vitro activity is not the same as a clinical outcome, it provides a mechanistic narrative that aligns with the direction of the market: supporting the body’s natural GLP-1 activity and complementing the broader metabolic-health lifestyle consumers are building around therapy.

From “beauty collagen” to “metabolic collagen”

For collagen brands, the strategic opportunity here is positioning. The category has long relied on familiar claims and lifestyle visuals, but GLP-1 is changing buying behaviour. Consumers are scrutinizing labels, looking for functional stacks, and favouring products that feel designed for their new routines. In that context, collagen can shift from a general wellness add-on to a functional ingredient that supports both structural needs and metabolic priorities.

Pepzyme AG is being marketed as the bridge that makes this repositioning easier. Rather than asking brands to abandon collagen’s traditional identity, it allows them to evolve it: collagen becomes less about vague “support” and more about digestive performance, peptide delivery, and formulation credibility. It also gives brands a more defensible answer when consumers ask the most important question in modern nutrition: why this product, and why now?

The biggest takeaway for the functional ingredient community is that GLP-1 users represent more than a fast-growing segment. They represent a new standard for how products must be built and explained. Collagen brands that adapt to this standard with science-led formulation upgrades will be better positioned to stand out in a crowded market where differentiation increasingly depends on mechanism, not marketing.

Buy Canadian 2026: The Value + Proof Marketing Playbook

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IHR Magazine
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The “Buy Canadian” movement has evolved from boycott energy to value-driven pragmatism. Here’s how health food retailers can convert patriotism into sustainable growth.

The movement didn’t fade. It professionalized.

The “Buy Canadian” surge that dominated conversations in 2025 has entered a new phase. The loudest part of the story has quieted, but the behaviour is still there—now guided by a sharper set of shopper rules: make it easy to find, easy to verify, and easy to afford.

For health food and wellness retailers, this is not a trend to chase. It’s a structural shift you can build into your operating system. Why? Because your customer already shops with a higher bar for truth. Wellness shoppers read labels. They ask questions. They expect receipts—literal and figurative. That means “Canadian-first” can become a durable advantage if you execute it like infrastructure, not a campaign.

The strategic question for 2026 is straightforward: when the next wave of cross-border tension hits the news cycle, will your shelves, website, staff, and pricing be ready to convert Canadian sentiment into repeatable, profitable behaviour?

The behaviour engine: what’s actually driving 2026

Identity plus economics: the dual engine

“Buy Canadian” persists because it runs on two tracks simultaneously. One is identity: shoppers want purchases that reflect who they are and what they stand for. The other is economics: cost-of-living pressure forces trade-offs at checkout.

In 2026, economics is the stricter boss. Shoppers may want to support Canadian brands, but they won’t do it if it feels like a premium tax. This is why the movement’s centre of gravity has shifted from broad boycott talk to practical substitutions in everyday baskets—food, essentials, personal care, and the wellness staples that sit adjacent to grocery.

The trust multiplier effect

Wellness retail benefits from a built-in advantage: your category already operates inside a trust contract. Customers come to you because they want fewer surprises—cleaner ingredients, clearer sourcing, better accountability. That makes “Canadian” an accelerant when it’s presented as a trust signal rather than a patriotic banner.

In other words, your best “Buy Canadian” messaging doesn’t sound like politics. It sounds like quality control.

The affordability ceiling

The most important limiter in 2026 is affordability. Many consumers are trading down, shopping promotions harder, and leaning into value retailers. This changes the marketing job. The goal is no longer to persuade people to care about Canadian products. They already do. The goal is to protect the choice from sticker shock.

The international echo

A final wrinkle: origin scrutiny is spreading. Even when the movement is framed as Canadian, the shopper mindset can extend into broader questions about global supply chains, ownership, and where ingredients originate. This matters in wellness, where formulation and sourcing are often international even when the final product is made locally.

The solution is not to hide complexity. It’s to translate it clearly.

The 2026 playbook: five strategic moves

1) Frictionless discovery: own the scan moment

In 2026, discovery is the battleground. Shoppers want Canadian options, but they won’t work for them. You need to win the “scan moment”—the five seconds in front of shelf or search results where the decision happens.

What to do in the next 90 days

  • Build a Canadian-first navigation layer everywhere: shelf tags, endcaps, aisle blades, e-commerce filters, and a consistent weekly flyer module.
  • Treat “Canadian” like a product attribute, not a campaign: it should be sortable, searchable, and visible at a glance.
  • Train staff to explain your Canadian labels in one sentence, confidently and consistently.

2) Reframe patriotism as wellness trust

The winning story is not flag-waving. It’s accountability. Canadian-first should be framed as closer supply chains, clearer standards, better traceability, and fewer surprises.

What to do in the next 90 days

  • Add proof points to shelf talkers and product pages: where it’s made, what’s sourced where, ownership clarity, and the specific meaning of your Canadian callouts.
  • Launch a “Meet the Maker” series: short, staff-led videos that turn Canadian brands into human stories—facility, sourcing, and why their standards matter.
  • Build a simple “Canadian Proof” template for suppliers to fill out so your claims stay consistent across all channels.

3) Price architecture: protect the movement from sticker shock

If Canadian-first equals “more expensive,” you lose the trade-down shopper—even if they want to support Canada. Your job is to keep trading down inside the Canadian set.

What to do in the next 90 days

  • Create Canadian Value Heroes: 10–20 SKUs per major category with reliable promo cadence and visible placement.
  • Build Good / Better / Best tiers inside Canadian sets so value shoppers can step down without stepping out.
  • Use price-pack strategy: trial sizes, bundles, and subscriptions for Canadian staples.

4) Assortment strategy: treat Canadian substitution as category growth

This is where marketing leaders can unlock real growth. When Canadian substitutes exist, give them the structural advantages imports often enjoy: distribution priority, feature space, education, and repeat promotions.

What to do in the next 90 days

  • Run a Canadian Swap Map across top categories:
    • High substitutability: snacks, pantry staples, tea, many personal-care basics, and selected supplement segments.
    • Low substitutability: specialty actives and certain niche formulations.
  • Where substitutes exist: feature them, bundle them, educate staff on the “why,” and build trial through sampling or “switch and save” mechanics.
  • Where substitutes don’t exist: be transparent and credible. Shoppers can accept complexity; they don’t forgive spin.

5) Communications that land: forward-thinking, not cringe

The movement is strong, but consumers are tired of empty posturing. Your messaging should feel modern, calm, and specific.

Messaging framework for 2026
“Canadian-first when it counts. Transparent always.”

This line works because it respects two truths at once: shoppers care about Canada, and they also care about honesty, affordability, and real-world nuance.

The credibility trap: get your Canadian definitions right

The fastest way to damage trust is a vague or inconsistent origin claim. Build one internal standard, stick to it, and make sure your shelf tags match what your products can substantiate.

Practical rule for marketing teams

  • Avoid “local-ish” language.
  • Use clear categories such as:
    • Made in Canada (with a qualifier if needed)
    • Product of Canada (where applicable)
    • Canadian-owned
    • Made in Canada with imported ingredients
    • Packed in Canada (only if that’s the truth)

Then ensure every claim has a proof file you can produce if challenged.

The VP dashboard: metrics that prove it’s working

If you can’t measure Canadian-first, you can’t scale it. Track these weekly:

  • Canadian SKU penetration: percent of category sales from Canadian-made/Canadian-owned products (based on your internal definitions)
  • Basket mix shift: percent of basket value from Canadian-tagged items
  • Filter adoption: percent of online sessions using Canadian filters or Canadian search terms
  • Promo elasticity: lift on Canadian Value Heroes versus imported comparables
  • Claims compliance rate: percent of Canadian shelf tags and PDP badges backed by supplier proof files
  • Staff confidence score: percent of staff who can explain your Canadian labels accurately and consistently

The strategic outlook: build it now, benefit later

“Buy Canadian” isn’t fading. It’s becoming operational. The winners in 2026 won’t be the retailers with the most patriotic creative. They’ll be the ones who built Canadian-first into the way people shop—through discovery infrastructure, proof-based storytelling, value architecture, and staff confidence.

Do that, and the next wave of trade rhetoric won’t feel like a marketing scramble. It will feel like a tailwind you’re already built to capture.

Zellers’ Zellers 3.0 Comeback Builds Momentum After Edmonton Store Launch, With National Expansion in Sight

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Zellers is building momentum after opening its first new standalone store at Londonderry Mall in Edmonton last October, positioning the “Zellers 3.0” concept as a modern, value-driven take on the department store experience. The retailer says the launch has delivered strong traffic, enthusiastic customer response, and performance that continues to exceed internal expectations—an early signal that Canadians still want a convenient, affordable, multi-category shopping destination, especially when it is wrapped in a familiar name.

A comeback rooted in nostalgia, built for today’s shopper

From opening day onward, the Edmonton location welcomed waves of customers eager to experience the refreshed Zellers firsthand. The store’s approachable format—designed to feel easy to navigate—helped turn curiosity into immediate engagement. Shoppers responded positively to the blend of accessible pricing, a curated product mix, and brand elements that tap into long-standing emotional connection.

One of the most visible examples was the in-store return of Zeddy, Zellers’ beloved mascot. For families and longtime fans, that moment reinforced the brand’s place in Canadian retail culture and helped translate nostalgia into a shared in-store experience. For Zellers, it also underscored a key advantage: few retail brands have built-in cultural memory powerful enough to bring customers in the door before they have even seen the assortment.

A curated small-format department store model

The Edmonton store introduced a focused assortment across men’s, women’s, kids’ and baby apparel, along with footwear, accessories, home essentials, and seasonal categories. Zellers says shoppers were drawn to a mix of recognizable national and global brands alongside everyday lifestyle staples—an assortment strategy that aims to create “high perceived value” without overwhelming customers.

That product strategy matters because the Zellers 3.0 model is not trying to replicate the sprawling department stores of the past. Instead, it is leaning into a smaller-format approach that prioritizes clarity, discoverability, and repeat-visit convenience. In a market where consumers are often balancing price sensitivity with expectations for quality and choice, an edited department store can feel like a practical middle ground—more variety than a single-category retailer, but more efficient than legacy big-box formats.

Why the momentum matters for the functional food and CPG ecosystem

For consumer packaged goods companies and health-forward lifestyle brands, a potential Zellers expansion creates an important watchpoint. A growing chain of small-format department stores can become a meaningful traffic driver in malls and urban hubs—especially when the retailer is positioned as value-led, family-friendly, and seasonal in its merchandising approach.

While the current assortment mix leans heavily into apparel and home, the retailer’s public focus on evolving categories and adding brands over time suggests that supplier opportunities could widen as the concept matures. Retailers that can generate sustained foot traffic also tend to become stronger promotional partners, offering suppliers new access to family shoppers, impulse purchases, and seasonal bundle behaviour—all of which are relevant to the broader CPG landscape.

Executive commentary: exceeding internal targets

“Launching our first store exceeded our expectations in every way,” said Joey Benitah, Chief Operating Officer of Zellers. He noted that the initial opening-day excitement has continued, with consistent customer traffic, overwhelmingly positive feedback, and sales performance that continues to surpass internal targets. For the company, the sustained response validates both the strength of the Zellers name and the demand for a modern department store experience built around approachable value.

The takeaway is not simply that nostalgia sells. It is that nostalgia can be an efficient customer acquisition lever—if the store experience delivers real utility once shoppers arrive. Zellers is signalling that it believes it has found that balance: familiar brand DNA with a contemporary retail model.

Looking ahead: national expansion strategy

Following the Edmonton debut, Zellers says it is actively pursuing new leasing opportunities across Canada as part of a phased national expansion strategy. The company’s goal is to bring stores back to communities across the country, with an emphasis on securing locations in every major Canadian market. It also says it is keeping flexibility at the centre of its real estate approach to support thoughtful, sustainable growth.

At the same time, the retailer says it is listening closely to customer feedback to guide how it expands the assortment, refines the store experience, and introduces new categories and brands. Additional announcements related to new store locations, expanded assortments, and future phases of the Zellers 3.0 concept are expected in the coming months.

Eshbal Maps a North American Growth Plan for 2026

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Eshbal Functional Food Inc. (TSXV: ESBL) is moving into 2026 with an expansion strategy designed to translate an established Israeli manufacturing base into a scalable North American platform for gluten-free and “better-for-you” foods. In a year-end message, CEO Tomer Bar Meir positioned 2025 as a pivotal year, marked by the company’s public listing and the operational decisions needed to accelerate growth while improving profitability.

Eshbal describes itself as a food-tech operator with more than 20 years of proprietary process development and a broad product engine, having developed more than 300 SKUs, including more than 80 in “better-for-you” segments. The company operates from a roughly 60,000-square-foot production facility in Israel, with an in-house lab and food engineering support. Management also highlighted continued revenue momentum, reporting 2024 revenue of US$11.4 million and forecasting 2025 revenue of up to US$14 million, with an estimated gross margin of 24 per cent.

A public-market platform built to fund growth

The strategic logic behind the April 2025 TSX Venture Exchange listing, according to management, was straightforward: North America is too large to enter cautiously. Capital, inventory, and commercial execution capacity are required to compete in gluten-free bakery, where consumers demand taste parity and retailers expect strong service levels. Eshbal’s plan leans into that reality by combining platform acquisition, local manufacturing, and multi-channel go-to-market execution.

U.S. distribution via D2BD and a Northeast retail footprint

A key milestone late in 2025 was Eshbal’s 55 per cent purchase of U.S.-based Dare To Be Different Foods (D2BD), which management described as having an established footprint across parts of the Northeast, including Walmart locations in New York State and additional stores across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Eshbal’s intent is to use D2BD as a commercial platform, expanding distribution while introducing Eshbal brands into existing store relationships and improving operational performance through tighter quality, efficiency, and cost controls.

Canadian manufacturing, DTC rollout, and broker-led retail expansion

On the manufacturing side, Eshbal says it has secured an Ontario-based gluten-free production partner in Toronto-based Queen Street Bakery. The agreement is expected to begin with pita bread production, supported by Eshbal’s specialised equipment and technical know-how, with additional products potentially following. Initial production is planned to support online inventory, buyer sampling for retail and foodservice evaluations, and early customer opportunities.

To convert operational progress into demand, Eshbal plans to launch a Shopify-based online platform in the first quarter of 2026, pairing brand communication with e-commerce and marketplace integration. Wholesale expansion is expected to be broker-led in the U.S. via Active Marketing Group, initially representing Eshbal’s Barili products alongside select D2BD items, while the company explores Canadian broker representation and pursues foodservice relationships.

Looking ahead, Eshbal says its M&A strategy targets at least one accretive acquisition annually, with the possibility of another U.S.-based acquisition in the first half of 2026. The company’s near-term success will hinge on execution: consistent Canadian production, seamless fulfilment, disciplined integration of D2BD, and retail and foodservice wins that build repeat purchase velocity without eroding margins.

TRUBAR’s Going-Private Deal Clears Final Court Approval

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TRUBAR Inc. (TSXV: TRBR; OTCQX: TRBRF) has reached a major milestone in its proposed acquisition after the Supreme Court of British Columbia issued a final order approving the company’s plan of arrangement. The transaction involves 1564128 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company (the Purchaser), an affiliate of ETİ Gıda Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (ETİ Gıda), a leading privately held consumer packaged goods (CPG) company based in Turkey.

With the final order in place, TRUBAR is now positioned to complete the arrangement once customary closing procedures are finalized. The company has indicated closing is expected in the coming weeks, subject to the remaining closing steps.

What the final court order signals

In Canadian M&A, a plan of arrangement typically requires multiple checkpoints: a structured approval process, securityholder support, and court oversight. A final court order is a key green light that confirms the transaction process meets the legal requirements under the arrangement framework. For investors and industry watchers, it is often the clearest indicator that the deal is moving from “announced” to “closing track.”

Why this acquisition matters for better-for-you and natural health

TRUBAR has built its brand in the “better-for-you” snack space with plant-based protein products positioned around taste, quality, and clean, recognizable ingredients. For the natural health channel and functional food ecosystem, this deal is another sign that strategic CPG buyers continue to place value on brands that combine:

  • Clear positioning (plant-based protein and modern ingredient expectations)
  • Strong retail viability (repeat purchase potential and high-velocity shelf performance)
  • Scalable brand architecture (product line extensions and geographic expansion potential)

For ETİ Gıda, the acquisition represents a direct path into the North American better-for-you snacking segment through a brand that has already done the work of building awareness, retail relationships, and consumer trust.

What to watch next

If the arrangement closes as anticipated, TRUBAR is expected to transition out of public markets, with delisting and related reporting changes typically following completion. Next signals will include the closing news release, timing updates, and any early commentary on growth priorities under the new ownership structure.

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