Heather Mills, owner and founder of VBites who was recently recognised as ‘Vegan Woman of the Year‘ at the 2024 Vegan Women’s Summit in Los Angeles, announces the acquisition of the award-winning online plant-based store Alternative Stores.
This latest addition to Mills’ vegan portfolio aims to offer support to hundreds of family businesses and assist with the launch of their own brands, and follows last year’s acquisition of the Plant & Bean manufacturing facility in Boston, UK, which was facing administration.
Alternative Stores lists a wide variety of notable plant-based brands including UK egg alternative producer Sinless Food; Naturli butter; LoveRaw confectionery; Violife cheese; Mummy Meegz chocolate and treats; and of course, VBites, in addition to other categories such as footwear, household, pet food, and health and beauty.
The founders of Alternative Stores are Dan John, who will enter retirement, and daughter Zahra who will continue to work with Heather and her team.
The father and daughter duo comment today, “We are excited for the future of Alternative Stores with such a passionate vegan pioneer in Heather Mills. We have built up the most amazing and loyal customer base and know they will be as delighted as we both are for the ideas and plans that Heather and her team are working on. Watch this space!”
100% vegan one-stop shop
Speaking on the latest acquisition today, Mills states, “I observed too many family businesses struggling to get listed on corporate-owned selling websites, facing endless paperwork, poor communication, and exorbitant charges that ultimately harmed their operations. I aim to create an ethical online store that supports family businesses and diminishes the control of large corporations abusing their power. People may find these companies convenient, however, they are harming the consumer’s pocket and ethics in other ways they have not considered.
“Our customers predominantly shop online, so our goal is to create a one-stop shop for convenience to consolidate a wide variety of nutritious and delicious alternative products under a single banner and framework…. from one family site.”
Supporting British businesses
She explains further, “We are simplifying the shopping experience for consumers seeking diverse, healthier, and tastier plant-based options. People lead busy, hardworking lives, and we don’t always want to spend an hour online visiting multiple websites. I get that, so why not alleviate that burden if we can? However, also choose British family-owned businesses as they are the foundation of the economy to support the UK.
“First, I want to congratulate Dan John on his retirement and [give] thanks to Zahra for continuing to work with me. Our wider plan is to integrate this offering with the many high-protein, delicious alternatives we already produce at VBites, creating a central hub of ‘hero’ plant-based products in one place. From plant-based milk to allergen-free ready meals and ethical sweet treats, we are committed to quality.
“If it’s not fantastic, it won’t make it onto the site. It must have the Heather Mills stamp of approval!”
See the current range at alternativestores.com
