How Holland & Barrett Is Using AI to Reinvent Wellness Retail

I love interviewing executives who think in systems.

Not just leaders who can talk about growth, marketing, or technology in isolation, but leaders who understand how all of those pieces connect into something bigger. That is exactly what stood out in my conversation with Katya Denike, Chief Product Officer at Holland & Barrett, live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London.

Because while plenty of retailers are talking about AI right now, Katya is thinking about something deeper:

How do you build a retail organization that can actually use it?

And in my view, that is the more important question.

Why Holland & Barrett Took Its App In-House

One of the first things we discussed was Holland & Barrett’s decision to bring its mobile app in-house.

At the time, the app was underperforming. It represented a small portion of digital revenue, customer ratings were weak, and innovation cycles were too slow. Since then, it has become a meaningful growth engine for the business.

Katya’s reasoning was refreshingly straightforward.

If a product is core to your competitive advantage, you should own it.

Not everything needs to be built internally. Retailers should absolutely partner where it makes sense. But if the product is central to how customers experience your brand, relying entirely on third parties can create friction, delays, and distance from what customers actually need.

That distinction matters.

Too many retailers still treat digital products like outsourced utilities instead of strategic assets.

Product Thinking Beyond the Customer Experience

What also impressed me was the scope of Katya’s role.

When many people hear Chief Product Officer, they think website, app, maybe loyalty. But Katya’s remit stretches far beyond that into internal systems, logistics, pricing tools, and the technology that powers day-to-day operations.

That is smart.

Because customers experience the outputs of internal systems whether they realize it or not.

Fast fulfillment, accurate inventory, relevant pricing, smoother service, better recommendations — these things often begin behind the scenes.

Holland & Barrett organizes product teams around three audiences:

Customer experiences
Colleague experiences
Partner experiences

That framework creates clarity. It recognizes that employees and partners need great products too, not just shoppers.

And in an era where operational speed is often the real differentiator, that mindset is increasingly valuable.

AI Is Bigger Than Most Retailers Think

Then we got into AI.

Katya has a background in machine learning, so her perspective carries weight. And her point was simple: many companies are still underestimating how fast this shift is happening.

Not because AI is perfect.

But because the pace of adoption is unlike anything retail has seen before.

She talked about AI changing how software gets built, how workflows get managed, how customer experiences are personalized, and how teams spend their time.

That last point resonated most with me.

The real opportunity is not replacing people. It is removing friction so talented people can focus on higher-value work.

Merchants can spend more time merchandising. Product teams can build faster. Customer teams can personalize at scale. Leaders can make decisions with better inputs.

That is where value gets created.

The Retailers That Win Will Build Faster

If there was one theme running through the conversation, it was speed.

Speed to launch. Speed to improve. Speed to adapt.

Retail has always rewarded operators who can move faster than the market. AI simply raises the stakes.

The companies that hesitate, overanalyze, or treat AI like a side experiment risk falling behind. The companies that combine strong product discipline with practical execution have a real chance to separate themselves.

Holland & Barrett appears to understand that.

They are not just experimenting with AI features. They are building the organizational muscle to capitalize on what comes next.

That is a very different thing.