Resilient PATH: underground Toronto’s natural health food stores in a post-COVID world
By Vibha Shukla
As the natural health industry grapples with post-pandemic recovery, many businesses are working hard to bounce back from the economic blows dealt by lockdowns and remote work.
This recovery has been more challenging for health food and supplement stores located in the PATH, Toronto’s 30 km-long underground walkway system that connects over 75 buildings in the downtown core.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the PATH was a hub for commuters, workers, and shoppers, generating over $1.5 billion in annual sales. However, the pandemic emptied out the downtown offices and, as a result, this bustling network fell silent.
Business before COVID-19
Natural health food stores in the PATH cater to health-conscious professionals, people who live in the area, and high-performance athletes on the go.
Before the pandemic, the peak hours—typically around lunch and after work—saw a steady stream of customers looking to stock up on daily requirements like healthy snacks and supplements.
As Monica Lee, from Nutrition House TD, shares “Nutrition House TD was one of the top four sales ranking stores in all of the Nutrition House stores in Canada before the pandemic. Lunch would be our busiest time from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. Staff were only permitted to have lunch or breaks before or after this period, and sales reps were asked to avoid this time to visit the store.”
Monica further explains, that, generally, sales would be highest during this period “as the busy people working in the area had limited time to spend so they would be in and out within minutes, and the store would constantly have customers.”
Impact of COVID-19
“Overnight, the PATH became a ghost town,” recalls Monica. The sudden drop in foot traffic due to COVID-19 restrictions led to significant revenue loss. For many stores, sales were less than a quarter of pre-COVID sales.
Monica notes that, during the pandemic, her store operated with just one staff member and was open only three days a week.
Similarly, Liz Ross, from Good Health Mart, witnessed a dramatic shift in consumer behaviour. “Early in the pandemic, I was lucky to have 7 to 10 customers a day, and Fridays could have as few as three to five,” she says.
Embracing change
As business slowed, health food stores in Toronto’s underground had to adapt to new trends to ensure continued business. Stores began offering curbside pickup, free delivery, and online shopping to cater to customers worried about leaving their homes or entering crowded spaces.
“People who never used to shop online were forced to shop online and got used to using the online e-commerce marketplace,” explains Frances Yi, from Ginkgo Health Shop. “Due to this significant change in the world, we adapted our business and created an online store for the first time.”
“We were a part of Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE program, which created a free e-commerce website for us. This opened up a new market for us, which we previously did not have access to. Our online store helped us adapt to the new post-COVID-19 marketplace,” says Frances.
Liz explains that in addition to these strategies, Good Health Mart also sent out biweekly emails to their customers to maintain engagement.
Maintaining consumer loyalty and building rapport
To reward customer loyalty, stores enhanced their offerings with more personalized service. Monica explains, “creating loyalty is hard, so we try on a ‘one by one’ basis where the customer has a unique interaction or experience with the staff, so that when they leave the store, they feel they connected with someone.”
Similarly, Liz says that Good Health Mart implemented a loyalty program offering customers points for every purchase. Consumers could redeem these points for discounts, which created an incentive for repeat visits.
For Ginkgo Health Shop, creating positive, trust-based relationships with their clients became even more of a priority. As Frances explains, “we genuinely want to help provide them with advice on natural products that will help them to lead healthier and happier lives. Our experienced nutritionists on staff are experts in natural health who provide advice that is customized to the needs of the clients. We are always here to provide consultations and help suggest supplements or design a supplement protocol that would be best for our client.”
Road to recovery
As more and more people return to their offices and daily commutes, these natural health food stores have seen slow but steady recovery. In March 2024, office activity in Toronto was up to 63 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
For health food stores located in the PATH, this has meant a continued improvement in business.
Monica continues to host in-store demonstrations and promotions. “This gives our store free advertising, and the customers know where they could purchase the product if they wanted to continue the supplement.”
Frances notes that joining Health First Network and having a mail-out flyer have been particularly helpful in promoting their store, especially among newer customers. “Our mail-out flyer has been so helpful in letting people who have just moved to the area know that we exist and where we are located.
“We also joined the Health First Network during the pandemic, which has been such a great support to our business. As part of the Health First Network, us wellness retailers want to continue to be part of a caring and collaborative healing community.”
Preparing for the future
Natural health food stores in Toronto’s PATH are an outstanding example of resilience and consistency in maintaining customer relationships while effectively adapting to uncertain conditions.
When faced with an unprecedented crisis and constantly changing retail landscape, these stores didn’t just survive—they innovated, embraced new technology, and deepened their commitment to their customers.