Tour Map to a Healthy Way

Health Stores Ireland launch new store finder and tour map and guide.

Ireland has over 200 independent health foods stores that operate in almost every town centre and shopping mall in the country. Health Stores Ireland represents stores across the length and breadth of the country, from large national chains in big city locations to owner run stores in small towns and villages. They have decided to acknowledge their interconnectivity by producing a traditional touring map to highlight their network.

Each store owner has made a recommendation of something alternative to see and do within their own location and the map features a wide range of places of interest, some well-known attractions, and some hidden gems. The maps are now available free of charge from independent health food stores.

The idea of a touring map was born out of a succession of summers where retailers noticed a trend toward holidaying close to home. Mary Wedel, An Tobarín Bandon commented, “We get great joy in recommending one of our fellow independent retailers to our staycationing customers and we look forward to their feedback when they return, often with well wishes from our friends on another part of the island. Acknowledging the changing trends in holiday habits and channelling this into a useful document was our challenge.”

Health Stores Ireland teamed up with eco design and print company The Factory, based near Birr, and modelled their project on traditional touring maps from the past. Erica Murray, project sub-committee, commented, “Using the concept of the traditional- and sometimes awkward to fold, touring map might seem a questionable decision, but we loved the association with throwback family outings of the past.” In a nod to the future each store is listed with > an Eircode which will take you to their door when punched into Google maps or another Sat Nav app.

Almost all the information contained on the map, including the store front images, was crowd sourced. The project demonstrates that the principle of individuals working as a collective can produce something that well exceeds the sum of its parts. The map is part funded by sectoral partners who are acknowledged on the finished document and is part of a ringfenced marketing fund divested by Health Stores Ireland each year to promote the independent retail sector.