I recently met the team at Thrive in Kloof and had to share this amazing small business with you. I spent time chatting to owner, Lynda Bryant Mutsaerts, about the history of the store and their plans for the future.
Lynda bought the store in 2005, then branded as National Road Pharmacy, which was established in 1959. They worked with local agency, Outlook Orange, and completely overhauled their brand and image and relaunched as Thrive in 2016.
Firstly, I love their store design. You’re immediately wowed when you walk into the space at the vast pitch of the exposed beam roof which gives the space such a light, airy feel with a modern, scandi edge. On one side is the pharmacy and on the other a curated gift store and coffee shop/juice kitchen. Lynda showed me around and I delighted in seeing all the local brands in the gift store, sourced from around SA. Local and international skin care brands, cook books and more are also available – this is definitely the place to pop in to if you’re looking for a gift.
Secondly, I love that the store is owner run and managed. So many people arrived and left while we chatted and Lynda greeted most by name, which makes for such an amazing experience in a community these days – one which I feel most people are keen to move back to, as the impersonal corporates leave much to be desired when it comes to service.
Thrive recently won the award for Best Community Pharmacy in South Africa and celebrated the win alongside the announcement that they had taken on a partner, Kevin Hedderwick, who has acquired an equity and strategic stake in the business. Kevin has an illustrious businesses background, spearheading the transformation of a family business – Steers Holdings which had a market capitalisation of R105 million in 2000, into the R14 billion Famous Brands Limited company at the time of his retirement in 2016.
Lynda and the Thrive brand are now poised for success with the partnership set to take them to the next level, with the aim to create a space that meets all the healthcare needs of a community, combining a more holistic approach to health and wellness – on a national scale.
A very exciting partnership indeed – watch this space Ballito ;)
No Comments