Sunshine’s Healthguard improves wellness offerings for Sri Lankans through GNC

Taking the next step to make world-class wellness products readily available among Sri Lankans, country’s leading value-added Health & Beauty retail chain, Healthguard, will improve their offerings through world’s leading wellness brand GNC, adding a new range of internationally sought-after GNC products. 

GNC is one of the world’s most respected wellness brands spanning a premium assortment of wellness products under categories such as multivitamins and supplements, super foods, proteins and fitness, weight management, herbal and natural remedies and even personal care. GNC operates across over 9,000 stores across 50 countries, in addition to its 6,700 retail outlets in the United States. 

Healthguard is a fully-owned subsidiary of Sunshine Healthcare Lanka (SHL) – the healthcare arm of the diversified Sunshine Holdings conglomerate with interests in several key sectors of Sri Lankan business including agriculture, FMCG, and renewable energy. The premier retail chain promotes the unique ‘Wellness and Beauty’ concept among Sri Lankans, offering superior products and customer service backed with international standards.  

The landmark partnership with GNC last year paved a way for the modern Health & Beauty retailer to cater to the rapidly surging demand for wellness products in Sri Lanka. With the addition of new wellness products such as superfoods and digestion supplements, multivitamins, cleansing and detox supplements, fish oils and protein drinks, Healthguard looks to create greater value and increase consumer choice significantly through their newest, premium wellness offerings.

Probiotic Fast Stix – a mixed berry flavour, dietary supplement made using clinically studied probiotic strains – is now available at Healthguard under the newly-added product range. It comes in convenient powder form and provides 12.5 billion active cultures probiotics with a single serving. The new range also includes Triple Strength Fish Oil - another dietary supplement which focuses on improving your heart, brain, skin, eye and joint health benefits.   

“Wellness and beauty being the core focus of Healthguard, our partnership with GNC translates a credible, superior collaboration and it showcases Sunshine Healthcare’s commitment to fulfilling the evolving health and wellness needs of Sri Lankans via high quality products. The values that GNC brings such as innovation, trust and integrity sync very well with Healthguard’s and Group’s business values,” said Infiyaz Ali, Head of Operations – Healthguard Pharmacies. 

“The response we have received for GNC from our consumers is impressive. Addressing the demand for wellness products of Sri Lankans by adding a number of new GNC products into our portfolio is an important step we have taken to increase superior and high quality wellness offerings through Healthguard,” Infiyaz Ali commented. 

The comprehensive GNC range will be available at all 23 Healthguard outlets across the Western Province. With plans to gradually expand their distribution channels and make GNC available in leading retail chains, Healthguard will also focus heavily on improving the expertise and knowledge of their employees on GNC products.

“We want our employees to play a key part in building awareness among Sri Lankans about proactively leading healthy lives and how GNC products can enable this healthy life. That is why Healthguard heavily focuses on improving the standards of our employees in terms of knowledge and expertise in wellness product. It is always about giving the consumer right information so that customers will make an informed decision on purchases. Hence it is crucial that all Healthguard employees should always be armed with proper skills and knowledge,” Infiyaz Ali alluded further.

Operating across a network of 23 outlets across the Western Province of Sri Lanka, Healthguard offers an extensive range of pharmaceuticals, wellness and beauty products. Leading the market as Sri Lanka’s most modern retail pharmacy chain, Healthguard’s business model is focused on creating value, expanding choice and delivering superior service to customers. Building on the immense brand loyalty and goodwill generated by Healthguard’s breakthrough business model, the company plans to rapidly expand its footprint across the Western Province, extending its customer touch-points to a total of 35 stores within the next two years.