Wellness retailer Holland & Barrett makes sudden exit from S’pore, closes all 12 outlets
British health and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett has closed all 12 outlets in Singapore after nearly two decades in operation.
The brand officially announced its closure on its Instagram page today (March 10), though it is believed that some of its stores began shuttering as early as March 6.
A Holland & Barrett employee, cited by The Straits Times, shared in a Facebook post that she and her co-workers were caught off guard by the closure.
“Everything happened so quickly, and it feels like a nightmare,” she said, revealing that she had worked at the retailer for 12 years.
Customers were also left in the dark about the company’s plans to close. On March 4, a customer voiced his frustration on the Complaint Singapore Facebook Group, criticising the brand for continuing to accept new membership sign-ups for 2025.
“My $300 balance until July will be wasted since the 70% discount doesn’t allow members to use additional vouchers for payments,” he wrote in the post.
According to Holland & Barrett’s website, the company was established in 1870 and has over 1000 stores across 18 countries worldwide. The brand was brought to Singapore in 2009 by Jay Gee Enterprises through its subsidiary, MA Supplements.
At its peak, there were 27 Holland & Barrett stores in Singapore that carried a range of health products and organic food.
On March 7, an announcement in the Government’s e-gazette said the directors of MA Supplements had made a statutory declaration of its inability to continue the business because of liabilities.
A search of MA Supplements with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority also revealed that it is currently in the midst of liquidation.
Vulcan Post has reached out to Holland & Barrett for comment.
- Read other articles we have written on Singaporean startups here.
Also Read: Eggslut exits Singapore after less than 4 yrs, shuts down its last outlet at Scotts Square
Featured Image Credit: Holland & Barrett/ HappyCow
“It makes sense”: Why SM Lee Hsien Loong supports immigration into Singapore
Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong dominated the local news headlines for his speech yesterday (March 9, 2025) at the Teck Ghee Citizenship Ceremony, where he congratulated and welcomed 200 new citizens to the city-state.
In his speech, he spoke about immigration and the benefits it brings to Singapore’s growth as a country. We’ve watched the full speech, and here are the most important (and in our opinion, juiciest) bits.
Why is Singapore pro-immigration?
SM Lee started his speech by saying it “makes sense” for the city-state to welcome new citizens due to the country’s geographical limitations.
Immigration is essential—even existential—for Singapore’s survival.
We are a small island with no natural resources. We can only rely on our people—our skills, our enterprise, and hard work—to make a living for ourselves. While larger nations may have the population, resources, and hinterland to fall back on, Singapore does not.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Teck Ghee citizenship ceremony
SM Lee explained that new citizens bring “something extra that is vital” and that new experiences, perspectives and connections are catalysts for Singapore to thrive as a regional hub and a global node.
He recounted a visit to tech giant Google’s headquarters at the Silicon Valley in San Fransisco two years ago, where 10 presenters showcased the company’s projects on Artificial Intelligence and robotics.
During his interactions with the presenters, he observed that only two were from the United States, and the others came from all around the world. He deemed this diversity as America’s “enormous advantage”—the country “draws top talent from every continent,” enabling it to continue innovating.
Creating better opportunities for all
While SM Lee emphasised the importance of sharing the same sentiment in Singapore, he also acknowledged the competition that comes with immigration and said that it’s a “sensitive issue in every country.”
Yes, it is true [that] immigration will bring more competition and will put pressure on us to work harder and meet higher standards. But it will also create a more vibrant economy, spur us to become stronger and more capable, and generate better opportunities and brighter prospects for our children and grandchildren.
If Singapore closes ourselves up, opportunities will pass us by. We will fall behind and become just like any other city in the region, and our descendants will be the worse off for it.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Teck Ghee citizenship ceremony
Singapore sees strong “inflows,” given that about 30,000 citizen babies are born each year, and the city-state takes in around 22,000 new citizens; however, SM Lee emphasised the importance of keeping it “measured and balanced”.
He explained that in other continents like Europe, where immigration efforts have “not kept pace,” it has triggered strong nativist pushback and xenophobia—ultimately deepening the divisions in society.
Addressing Singapore’s low birth rate
As Singapore grapples with a declining birth rate and an aging population, SM Lee called for a need to “top up the numbers” for the economy to grow.
Previously, it was reported that Singapore will potentially see more deaths than births by the 2030s, to which the government has ramped up the increased immigration of foreign workers.
The declining birth rate and aging population mean that there’s greater strain on the sandwiched working class, and this has indirectly aggravated bread and butter issues, notably the cost of living and amenities.
As such, the city-state has announced measures and incentives to “encourage” Singaporeans to have more children in their annual Budget statement delivered in February.
However, would those measures be effective enough to not only alleviate these issues but also grow the country? Only time will tell.
- Read more articles we have written on Singapore’s current affairs here.
Also Read: Lawrence Wong is the 2025 election’s fresh face. Can the opposition upstage him with someone?
Featured Image Credit: Terence Tan, Ministry of Digital Development and Information of Singapore
Lawrence Wong is the 2025 election’s fresh face. Can the opposition upstage him with someone?
Five years ago, the Singapore General Election of 2020 was looking to be rather dull, right until Associate Professor Jamus Lim, a relatively unknown Workers’ Party (WP) candidate, took the stage in a TV debate just nine days before the vote.
Facing off against Francis Yuen (PSP), Chee Soon Juan (SDP), and Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Lim’s performance immediately captured attention.
When the results came in on July 10, not only did the WP outperform its previous election results, but it also flipped a new Group Representation Constituency (GRC)—Sengkang—where Jamus Lim was a key team member. This achievement was undeniably his own.
It was a major and unexpected win for the opposition, especially considering Singapore’s successful pandemic response in 2020, which the People’s Action Party (PAP) had hoped would translate into strong voter support.
In the typically slow-paced world of local politics, where established names dominate, the appearance of an articulate and fresh candidate injected excitement into the election, with many voters willing to give promising newcomers a chance.
This year, the new face bringing fresh energy to the race is none other than Lawrence Wong.
Though not exactly “new”—having served as an MP for 13 years and sworn in as Prime Minister nearly a year ago—this will be Lawrence Wong’s first electoral contest as the PAP leader, following Lee Hsien Loong’s departure from the role.
Post-Lee Singapore
While Singapore experienced a 14-year period under Goh Chok Tong’s premiership, between Lee Kuan Yew’s and his son’s terms, it was still during the lifetime of the nation’s founding father. His active presence provided a sense of continuity and stability until his passing in 2015.
Now, even with his son serving as one of the country’s Senior Ministers, after 60 years, the end of the “Lee era” is in sight, with Lawrence Wong leading Singapore into a new political reality.
This marks a significant shift, and the PAP has done well in choosing a new leader who, so far, has faced little criticism.
Singapore’s Prime Minister starts with a clean slate, and it seems he might be the one to break the “curse of first premiership,” which saw both Goh Chok Tong and Lee Hsien Loong start their first term with a lower election result than their predecessors.
On the other hand, the opposition still lacks a comparable sense of fresh appeal.
SDP’s Chee Soon Juan will be attempting to win a seat for the seventh time. PSP will see the return of 84-year-old Tan Cheng Bock, aiming to attract votes in the West. Meanwhile, the Workers’ Party is introducing new faces, not just out of choice, but necessity, following the expulsions of Raeesah Khan, Nicole Seah, and Leon Perera in the past four years.
Still, it remains PAP’s most formidable competitor.
Jamus Lim’s success has likely shown Pritam Singh that shaking things up is key to winning over the middle-ground voters. The party just needs to find the right people—articulate and presentable —to lead the constituency teams.
The Straits Times has already spotlighted some of these new faces for the WP, and it seems the party has brought on a promising contender: Harpreet Singh.
Looking for another Jamus
While the qualities of a strong candidate are clear, finding one is far from simple. Personality combined with some level of charisma isn’t something that can be taught—it’s intrinsic.
The Workers’ Party (WP) has plenty of members, but it has struggled to find individuals who can compete head-to-head with the PAP’s longstanding leaders.
All is not lost this year, however, as it has secured a notable addition to its ranks: a Senior Counsel of the Supreme Court of Singapore.
Harpreet Singh is no ordinary lawyer, and he brings a new level of promise to the party. He could be the Jamus Lim of this election cycle—attracting attention to the WP through media appearances while also leading a team to contest a constituency successfully.
He has already made waves by criticising the Keppel Brazil bribery case and casting doubts on the conflict of interest surrounding ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan renting bungalows on Ridout Road. He has also been an advocate for the repeal of the controversial Section 377A.
Whether you agree with his views or not is less important in politics; what matters is that he can speak authoritatively on key issues of the day, which enhances the WP’s image and potential.
Given the locations of his walkabouts, he will likely be deployed somewhere in the east, either in Marine Parade (where PAP has to fill the hole after Tan Chuan-Jin) or further out in East Coast, where WP scored a very respectable 46.6% in 2020, against former PM-in-waiting, Heng Swee Keat’s team.
Bigger than one constituency
While the PAP has faced its own significant challenges since 2020—including the departure of Tan Chuan-Jin due to an extramarital affair and the conviction of Minister S Iswaran—the WP has also dealt with similar crises, one of which remains unresolved: the conviction of its leader Pritam Singh, who is currently appealing the decision.
The WP also lost two high-caliber members, Leon Perera and Nicole Seah, both due to romantic scandals, in addition to the infamous Raeesah Khan incident.
To recover from this low and effectively challenge the ruling party in new areas, the WP needs a candidate who can rise above these issues—someone with the ability to draw national attention and shift focus away from Pritam’s ongoing legal troubles.
Whether Harpreet Singh could be that candidate remains to be seen. Much depends on the timing of the General Election and the outcome of Pritam’s appeal.
As a respected lawyer, it could be difficult for Harpreet to align with a leader—also a lawyer—convicted of lying under oath by the High Court.
As long as Pritam’s appeal is pending, campaigning can proceed. However, once the final verdict is delivered, especially if the conviction is upheld, it could disrupt the WP’s political strategy, erode support, and place pressure on Pritam to resign, creating a whole new set of problems and reshuffling between constituencies.
Down to the wire
This may be the most unpredictable General Election yet, even though previous elections have also had their surprises.
While Lee Hsien Loong is undoubtedly a giant in Singapore’s history, his 20 years in leadership have been marked by controversies that opponents have often used against him. In contrast, Lawrence Wong presents a fresh opportunity for the PAP, with few vulnerabilities for critics to exploit.
He is competent, well-presented, globally respected, and well-liked, and he even plays the guitar.
Even though he’s been around for a while, people are only really discovering the person he is.
His main opponent, Pritam Singh, has been in the public eye longer and has faced numerous challenges over the past 15 years. Despite being younger, he remains tied to the Lee Hsien Loong era, and his recent legal troubles haven’t helped change that perception.
Unless the opposition can uncover a new star in 2025, like they did in 2020, it will be hard to outshine Singapore’s new Prime Minister.
However, with so many moving parts and outcomes still uncertain, it will be challenging to predict how the General Election will unfold right up to the end.
- Read other articles we’ve written on GE2025 here.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singapore’s current affairs here.
Also Read: Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh: Is he the Workers’ Party’s new hero?
Featured Image Credit: Singapore Conference on AI, edited by Vulcan Post
Eggslut exits Singapore after less than 4 yrs, shuts down its last outlet at Scotts Square
Eggslut has closed its last remaining outlet in Singapore at Scotts Square after less than four years in operation.
While the company has not made an official announcement, a check on the Eggslut website reveals that its Singapore locations have been removed from its list of international outlets.
Several netizens have also taken notice, with some leaving comments on the closure on the brand’s Google Maps and Instagram pages.
Eggslut first launched in Singapore back in 2021 to much fanfare. The American brand offered egg sandwiches starting from S$11 each and drew hour-long queues when it first landed.
It opened its second outlet in Suntec City in 2022. However, it closed a year later, and the space was taken over by Bakery 1946 from South Korea.
In addition to Singapore, Eggslut has been scaling back its international presence since last year.
The egg sandwich brand exited South Korea in 2024 and Hong Kong in 2025, citing “rising costs” and “changing spending habits” in both countries, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).
At the time of writing, the company lists only its outlets in Tokyo, Japan, and London, United Kingdom, as its overseas locations.
Vulcan Post has reached out to Eggslut for comment.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean startups here.
Also Read: From 10 to 0: The Manhattan Fish Market shuts down last remaining outlet in S’pore
Featured Image Credit: Eggslut via Instagram
After several biz failures, this M’sian found a recipe for success with clear protein drinks
Muhammad Zulfadhli is no stranger to failure.
From dropping out of university to failing at multiple business ventures, he is well aware of the unpredictable nature of business, and the demotivating qualms of others that come with it.
Despite all this, he pushed against the odds, surprising naysayers and breaking through the local sports drink market.
This is the story of OPI, and the one-man show that went on to bring this dream to life.
Started from the bottom
In 2016, Zulfadhli dropped out of his bachelor’s in chemical engineering after obtaining a diploma within the field.
“I was more keen in doing business,” said Zulfadhli, adding that he disappointed his parents by following his passion.”
During his studies, Zulfadhli mentioned that he had failed at several ventures, including setting up a car rental service, selling handphone accessories, and rebranding his uncle’s curry puff business.
Trying to make up for lost time after failing at these ventures, Zulfadhli started going to the gym, which was when he realised that “there [was] no protein in ready-to-drink form.”
“I did some research and found a huge gap in the local market, [despite the] high demand for a protein on-the-go product,” said the entrepreneur, adding that most protein drinks at the time were imported and thus, were expensive and did not meet local taste preferences.
As such, the idea for OPI was born. An on-the-go protein drink that addressed these gaps in the market, it also provided fitness enthusiasts with a quick and easy option to meet their daily protein needs.
Most of us are familiar with ready-to-drink protein-based drinks in the form of protein shakes, so one thing that stands out with OPI’s drinks is that they’re clear.
This is thanks to them containing whey isolate, putting them in a unique market position in Malaysia, with few other players. Another brand that we found offering something similar is MyProtein, which is a brand from the UK, though it appears to only be available online.
Zulfadhli claimed that with RM10,000 of his own savings and another RM10,000 from his mother’s pension, he started OPI as an enterprise under his family’s brand, Optastar, a shipping and forwarding company launched in 1994.
“My main goal during this time was to prove to my parents, especially my father, that I can do business on my own, follow my passion, and carry the family business brand.”
Trial and error and trial and error and trial…
Zulfadhli started conducting the research and development process on his own in his family kitchen, utilising his basic knowledge in chemical engineering.
“After six months of further research with [help from the] internet and an ex-lecturer with a food background, I managed to create the first OPI prototype, the OPI Clear Protein Drink in 2018.”
“There was a lot of rejection and failure I faced in achieving [the prototype] that [aligned with] local taste [preferences], has good texture, and the right nutritional value,” he said, adding that he compared the prototype with similar products from Thailand and the USA.
Zulfadhli also mentioned that he had joined several government-organised courses centred on beverage manufacturing, guided by those with industry experience.
He added that he learnt about proper commercialisation of beverages, industry guidelines on nutritional values, product stability, and other technical aspects to achieve the final prototype before lab-scale production of the first OPI Clear Protein Drink.
“We started by renting a one-unit incubator facility located in Selangor with a very small and humble in-house production line.”
“I alone ran production, with a capacity of 150 bottles per day and a maximum of 2,000 bottles per month to do market validation,” said Zulfadhli.
And indeed, the research paid off as within the first three months, OPI gained more than 30 agents and a potential distributor from Singapore who was keen on being the sole distributor for OPI.
“After three to four years of running market validation and collecting data, we secured two reliable distributors, Pikzern Marketing Sdn. Bhd., who holds more than 30 years of experience in modern trade and chain value stores; and Mamee Double Decker Distribution Sdn. Bhd., with over 50 years of experience in general trade.”
Zulfadhli added that all OPI products have been lab-tested and complies with the nutritional guidelines set by the Food Act 1983.
Now we here
OPI had first utilised stockists and agents till 2022, when they started to go retail.
“From 2,000 bottles per month, we now reach a production average of 120,000 bottles per month as of today,” said the founder.
OPI’s products are currently sold at more than 1,700 outlets nationwide, under various retailers including Petronas Mesra, Family Mart, Aeon Big, NSK Grocer and more than 500 general trade outlets across the country. Their products can also be purchased via the online shopping platforms Shopee and TikTok Shop.
The brand has also secured exports to South Korea and Brunei, establishing a presence in foreign markets and upping their recognition.
In 2023, OPI broke even, before generating RM2.4 million and a growing profit margin in 2024.
The brand has also gone on to win several pitch programmes, including Superb Teraju in 2019, the National Sport Technology Innovation Award in 2022 and 2024, as well as placing third at the ASEAN-India Start-up Summit 2023.
Since launch, the company has gone on to diversify their product line, launching OPI Energy Drink, infused with coconut water and with low sugar content, and OPI Hydration Drink, infused with coconut water and with no added sugar.
“[We aim to offer] healthier sports drinks solutions that contain a combination of functional ingredients,” said Zulfadhli, adding that there are options with lower calories in the pipeline.
“We are still improving and we hope to provide easier access to customers by listing OPI products to more markets.”
From rejection and failure, Zulfadhli has turned his story around to leading OPI down a path of success, as he strives in his mission of making OPI a leader of the innovative functional sports drink market in Southeast Asia.
Also Read: At 23, he coded a startup in his bedroom. Now, his M’sian HR firm serves 450+ global clients.
Featured Image Credit: Muhamad Zulfadhli
This M’sian biz sold 70+ yoga mats before they even had a product, now sells them for RM390
Some people advise against starting a business with partners. Some advise against starting a business with friends.
Well, Wolo Yoga goes against both pieces of advice.
Jenn Ku was an accountant-turned-yoga teacher. After a stint as a chef and barista, Dean Yeong worked as a writer and head of content at a US tech/ecommerce company. Brandom Han was—and still is—an accountant and an avid yoga practitioner.
Jenn and Brandom have been childhood friends since secondary school, born and bred in Johor. Meanwhile, Perak-born Dean and Jenn are married.
And yet, the three have been able to establish and grow Wolo Yoga for the past four years, showing how going into business with loved ones might just work.
Starting as an experiment
While Wolo Yoga officially began in 2021, its story started before that.
After starting to practise yoga in 2018, Jenn noticed that it was difficult to find a reliable yoga mat. It was always an after-class conversation among yogis, but the consensus was that there wasn’t a prominent brand offering just that in Malaysia.
But during the MCO, things were starting to change. There was a rise in demand of reliable yoga mats with more people practising yoga at home. Noticing this demand, Jenn started exploring the market.
Before long, she got Dean, who was in the digital marketing space, onboard to set up an ecommerce store.
Initially, Dean was only helping out with the website setup and early-stage marketing, but a promising outlook on the business convinced him to join as a partner.
From there, Brandom, who had been practising yoga for years and had part-time experience at Lululemon, decided to join the team too to help with accounting and finances.
Even though all three seemed excited about the business’ prospects, they were still prudent about the venture. In fact, they saw Wolo Yoga as an experiment in the beginning.
“We didn’t quit our jobs when we started Wolo Yoga,” Dean explained. “And we used the pre-order business model to secure customers before investing in inventory.”
The project started in October 2020, where the team went through multiple iterations, testing out various materials.
“We know we don’t want the average PVC and TPE yoga mats due to health and environmental concerns, so we were considering rubber, fabric, and cork,” Dean shared with Vulcan Post. “We also went back and forth with more than 10 manufacturers from China, India, and Vietnam.”
For every sampling, they managed to get friends who practise yoga to test them out and give feedback.
Before placing an order, though, the Wolo team launched their website with a deep pre-order discount.
“We got 70+ sales before placing an order from our manufacturer. That was our first flagship product—Mastery Mat,” they said. “We ran some ads and got some strangers to buy from us. But a lot of the initial customers are our friends and family. The key takeaway here is to ask.”
After six months of trial and error, Wolo Yoga officially debuted in April 2021.
Taking it seriously
Yet, after the relatively successful initial pre-order launch, the trio didn’t do much to grow the business for almost 1.5 years.
They would get some sales coming in organically, but it wasn’t substantial—nor was it sustainable.
By 2023, they made a change—they decided to take Wolo Yoga seriously.
“The biggest change was that we started running Meta ads,” Dean said. “We started from spending RM20 per day, slowly we scale our ad spend to over RM15,000 a month at its peak.”
Taking the business seriously also meant taking their community seriously. To do that, they began offering an instructor programme for yoga teachers, working with them to promote their products.
“The feedback we got from teachers and customers also helped us to develop our second flagship product, Away Travel Mat,” Dean said. “It’s lightweight and foldable—which is what lots of our customers ask for.”
Today, they continue to put focus on the community by running offline events. There are plans to run a yoga retreat very soon, too.
Behind the mat
But what makes Wolo Yoga’s mat unique? There are so many options in the market at various price points, mainly from global brands such as Lululemon, Adidas, and Decathlon.
Wolo Yoga’s mats are quite an investment, too, with a price of RM390 for the Mastery Mat, which is more expensive than even Lululemon’s The Mat (RM318).
Well, the team believes that beyond community, it comes down to the product.
Wolo Yoga’s mats are made with vegan leather for the top layer to enhance grippiness, while the bottom is made with 100% natural rubber, which is dense and has anti-slip properties. The natural rubber used is SGS-certified to be non-toxic.
“Our yoga mats are suitable for everyday practitioners,” Dean said. “Yes, lots of our customers are instructors and serious yoga practitioners. However, people always get surprised after trying our yoga mats. It helps to level-up their practices so much.”
That might be why when it comes to Malaysian brands, Wolo Yoga is one of few.
A sustainable practice
Growing Wolo Yoga has been a slow and steady journey for the team of three. They took on a cautious approach, operating the business in a lean and careful manner.
Dean reiterated, “In the first few years, we didn’t quit our jobs, and we didn’t get a salary out of Wolo Yoga.”
Starting out, the trio invested less than RM1,000 to set up their website and run ads. Their first inventory order was placed using the revenue from the pre-order launch.
It was some time later when they decided to take the business seriously that they invested another RM25,000 of their own savings.
But the business has since become profitable. To date since their launch, they have raked in RM450,000 in revenue, with the last 12 months accounting for RM230,000.
However, the only full-time employee currently is Jenn. “We will need to scale it even further to grow our operation,” Dean said.
Growing the business entails running more offline events and expanding the product line into more yoga accessories and possibly even Pilates products.
Beyond being sustainable financially, though, the business is sustainable environmentally. As such, they aim to become a certified B-Corp business.
“It’s a global standard that keeps businesses with strict sustainability measures in terms of environmental and social impact,” Dean explained. “We’ve been planting a tree for every mat sold and paying carbon projects to offset customer deliveries since the beginning. However, we want to explore what more we can do.”
Four years in, Wolo Yoga isn’t just coasting—it has plenty more it wants to achieve. However, the team understands that things won’t be perfect. In fact, Dean believes you can’t plan for things to be perfect.
“Lots of what we do are experiments. We create a hypothesis and test it. Things don’t always turn out perfectly so we don’t fantasise about the best case scenarios,” he pointed out.
Thankfully, it seems like Wolo Yoga has been an experiment that has worked out positively for the trio.
Also Read: Not just a fad: How this entrepreneur plans to seriously grow Malaysia’s pickleball scene
Featured Image Credit: Wolo Yoga
