A HEALTH food shop has opened a branch within a Bishop Auckland supermarket.

Holland & Barrett, the UK and Ireland’s leading health food chain, opened an outlet within Tesco at St Helen Auckland Industrial Park last month.

A company spokesperson said the store showcases the latest concepts in specialist food, ethical beauty and sports nutrition and has a variety of innovative experiences, designed to help shoppers stay healthy on the move.

Holland & Barrett also stocks a wide variety of chilled and frozen foods for dietary requirements including vegetarians, vegans and coeliac.

The branch has created six new jobs– a store manager, two supervisors and three sales associates.

All Holland & Barrett store associates have the equivalent of an A-level in nutrition so they can advise customers on the best ways of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and supplementation.

Store manager Claire Hutchinson said: “This is an exciting time for Bishop Auckland and we look forward to welcoming existing and new customers in store to share the latest products and concepts in the health food, beauty and sports categories.”