Holland & Barrett acquires FemTech start up, Parla

Holland & Barrett, the leading wellness retailer has announced the acquisition of Parla, as part of its strategy to extend its reach beyond retail through the offer of personalised wellness solutions.

Co-founded by Lina Chan with her husband Tyler Christie and Rose Acton in 2018, Parla’s mission is to break down the taboo surrounding women’s health issues and enable access to trusted and holistic support.

Parla is the first-ever virtual support system to improve women’s mental wellness after pregnancy loss and beyond. It provides a safe and trusted space supporting ongoing informed conversation and scientific insights around women’s health and fertility experiences.

Parla offers holistic, personalised care for a range of challenges including endometriosis, PCOS and pregnancy loss. Through its online programmes, participants join cohort-based learning programmes, which help bring together women who may have been through similar experiences and connect them with experts in fertility, psychology, nutrition and wellbeing.

Holland & Barrett is known for its wide range of wellness products and advice, and it is now extending its reach to offer wider services and solutions across a range of healthcare topics that are currently underserved.

Tamara Rajah, chief business & science officer, Holland & Barrett said, “our vision is to transform the wellness of 100m people by 2025, helping them achieve their personal wellness goals. This ambition takes us beyond our current retail business to offer a suite of different personalised diagnostics, services and solutions.

“Parla aims to tackle major underserved wellness needs that impact tens of millions of women around the world. Women who have experienced endometriosis, PCOS or pregnancy loss often struggle with where to turn.

“What stood out for Holland & Barrett with Parla is their focus on making these taboo topics more socialised, and their novel cohort-based model to address mental wellness through conversation, community and expert support. Holland & Barrett has been offering women advice on menopause and women’s health for over 50 years, so this is a natural extension of our business.”

Lina Chan, founder of Parla commented, “Parla was inspired by my own experience with pregnancy loss and trouble conceiving. I always felt on the back foot. One in ten women in the UK currently suffer with endometriosis and PCOS, and one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage.”

Parla is officially launching the start of its next endometriosis programme by supporting the UK premiere of “Below the Belt,” a new US documentary about the injustices impacting women’s health. Directed by Shannon Cohn and Executive Produced by Hillary Clinton, the film reveals how millions of people with endometriosis are sidelined and silenced.

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