Martin Bitmead exits health and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett following digital availability drive

Martin Bitmead has left Holland & Barrett where he spent five years, most recently serving as Director of Range, Space & Merchandising.

Prior to that, he was Director of Multi-channel. His CV also includes stints at Costa Coffee and B&Q.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “After exactly five years, in two very different roles, my time at Holland & Barrett has come to an end.  It has been a part of my career in which I have learnt so much both professionally and personally. It’s been a privilege to initiate real transformation in the digital side of the business before moving to drive real change in the space, range and customer proposition of H&B as it strives to bring health & wellness to everyone.”

He added: “Major initiatives such as macro space reset, range rationalisation, digital availability drive, Click & Collect overhaul and our huge own label product transformation have all contributed to the business delivering double digit growth in the last two years.”

“It’s been an honour to work alongside some very talented people and to lead such motivated and resilient teams through the challenge of transformation. Good luck to all for the rest of this journey! As for me, I have decided to set out on a new direction, so if anyone needs my expertise in customer proposition and digital transformation I’d be delighted to help.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Omnichannel retail will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.