Heather Mills, founder of vegan food company Vbites, has added the online plant-based store Alternative Stores to her business portfolio.
With the acquisition, Mills aims to support hundreds of family businesses in bringing their plant-based food brands to market.
Alternative Stores was established by founders Dan John and his daughter Zahra, aiming to help consumers lead a cruelty-free lifestyle. The UK-based vegan duo set up the business with a focus on products from ethical small businesses – everything sold via Alternative Stores is 100% vegan, and the brand aims to supply organic, Fair Trade, gluten-free and palm oil-free options when possible.
While Dan will retire, Zahra will continue to work with Mills and her team following completion of the acquisition.
The acquisition follows the news earlier this year that Mills bought her own Vbites business back out of administration in a £1 million deal, choosing to resurrect the business ‘at great personal expense’ after Mills claimed she was ‘forced unnecessarily’ into administration at just three days’ notice. She cited ‘corporate greed’ as one of the drivers leading to the company’s struggles.
Now, Mills has expressed ambitions to ‘diminish the control of large corporations abusing their power’ through her acquisition of the online store, commenting in a statement: “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”.
“People may find these companies convenient, however they are harming the consumers pocket and ethics in other ways they have not considered.”
She added that her aim was to simplify the shopping experience for consumers seeking diverse, healthier and tasty plant-based options, while supporting family-owned businesses as they are ‘the foundation’ of the UK’s economy.
“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,” Mills concluded.
“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!”
Outgoing co-founder Dan John commented: “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.”
