Healthy growth for niche foods

  NBTY Europe, the owner of health food chains Holland & Barrett, GNC, Nature’s Way and Julian Graves, is hoping to boost its UK portfolio to almost 1,000 stores in the next financial year.   This is despite profits more than halving to £23m in the group’s most recently published accounts, for the year ended 30 September 2008.   NBTY said that it wanted to open 55 stores over the next year, including 30 Holland & Barrett shops, 15 Nature’s Way stores and 10 GNCs.   annabel.dixon@rbi.co.uk