Who? you ask, and you’d probably be right. Just remember that you read it here first. Thrive is a tiny wellness emporium with just two stores in KZN at the moment, one a converted Link Pharmacy in Kloof where the brand originated, one a recently-opened non-pharmacy outlet in The Well Centre in Ballito. Founder Lynda Bryant rebranded the pharmacy, which she bought in 2005, on the advice of customers who reported that clinical corporate retail pharmacies were intimidating, and that they were looking for more than a place to fill their prescriptions. Thrive Ballito focuses primarily on integrated wellness, stocking vitamins, supplements as well as natural, organic and locally-sourced food, skin care, gifts and cleaning products. It includes The Juice Kitchen as a store-within-a-store and offers a small clinic for a homeopath and nutritionist to visit on a weekly basis. But the big news for us is that Kevin Hedderwick, ex of Famous Brands, has seen the potential in the endeavour, and has taken a stake, and plans to assist in a national rollout, with the initial focus on KZN.
Comment: Tough time to be starting out. But with our current sharpened focus on wellness, and buoyed by existing global wellness trends, perhaps not.