Win Naturally opened its doors at Manchester Arndale on Friday 15th August after 2 years at the Trafford Centre. Offering 100 new products from around the world (with more to come!), including healthy pick & mix, fresh chilled foods and healthy meals to take away, there are plenty of choices to suit all sorts of dietary requirements.
As well as offering a whole range of fantastic products, including some of my personal favourites like Whey Hey, Nuts’n’More, Love Raw, Perkier, The Raw Chocolate Company, Meridian and US brands like Walden Farms, Win Naturally also offers nutritional advice, in-house fitness trainers plus a free weight loss club.
That’s the ethos of the brand for self-taught diet and nutrition guru, Julie Neville, who has a very hands-on approach when it comes to educating customers on leading a healthy lifestyle. Every product is tested by Julie and her family and she is regularly in-store to pass on what she has learnt over the years. Look out on the Win Naturally website too, for Julie’s own blog offering her personal opinions, thoughts and advice on products.
Thrilled to have such a brilliant store right on my doorstep, I took some time to speak to the wonderful and inspirational Julie…
1) What first inspired the concept and creation of the Win Naturally brand?
For Julie, it was while recovering from complications resulting from the traumatic birth of her second child that spurred on her interest in health and wellbeing. After being told she would be on medication for the rest of her life, within 9 months of healing herself through nutritious foods and supplements, the prescribed medication wasn’t needed. Julie had never felt better, which is where the Win Naturally concept came to fruition; using the powers of natural foods to cure and act as remedies.
2) Do you have any particular preferences in terms of brands or products available at Win Naturally?
As Julie observes, the free-from range is booming and supermarkets are gradually making such items more accessible, but it can be hard to find healthy versions of gluten or dairy-free products. This is where Win Naturally comes in, offering alternatives which aren’t packed with fat, sugar and refined ingredients.
It’s also the healthy snacks which are Julie’s favourites, evident by her excitement and enthusiasm while talking about them. With so many on the market, the 38 year-old businesswoman is keen for the brand to offer unusual and different ones, from dried kale crisps to high-protein quinoa chips, so every taste and preference is catered for.
3) Why did you choose Manchester Arndale to open Win Naturally?
While Win Naturally was a success at its previous home in the Trafford Centre, when the opportunity came up to move to Manchester Arndale, Julie jumped at the chance and immediately visualised the space as a local, flagship store. What’s great about the location is the variety of shoppers who pop in at all times of the day, including those who work in the city centre and want to grab a healthy, chilled lunch on the go or a meal to take home on an evening. The wide variety of products and mixed customer base makes Win Naturally even more appealing and accessible to all kinds of people!
4) Can you share with us some of your top health food/lifestyle tips?
One of the most important things you can do is prepare; for Julie, she always carries a tub of seeds or a health bar in her bag for healthy snacking on the go to avoid resorting to a chocolate bar from a petrol station – then there’s no excuse!
While we can get a lot of the essential nutrients from the food we eat if we choose wisely, Julie highly recommends taking supplements to maximise the health benefits. I was surprised to hear that the nutrient value has depleted significantly over the past 40 years, which is why it’s even more important we take additional supplements.
It was refreshing to hear Julie’s balanced approach to leading a healthy lifestyle; she stressed that everything should be enjoyed in moderation and adopting an 80-20 approach, eating well the majority of the time so treats can be enjoyed rather than being completely deprived. Julie emphasised that it’s also about making small steps which make big changes over time – it’s not all about things changing overnight!
5) Finally, what makes Win Naturally different to other health food shops?
It’s clear straight away that Win Naturally isn’t just a place providing healthy food products, but also somewhere offering a personal service for customers, whatever their health or background. For Julie, education is key, which is why all staff are qualified and an in-house fitness trainer is on hand to provide expert advice. What’s great too is seeing her two young children helping the team in store, giving a really friendly, caring family feel to the brand. With plans to expand Win Naturally in the near future, it’s fantastic to see such a welcoming and wide-ranging store being championed in Manchester!
Look out for Julie’s own book in store too, ’50 Top Tips for Optimum Health’, a fantastic resource for all things health and wellbeing, diet and nutrition. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and being inspired even more by this dedicated woman!
