“We were the first national retailer to offer a broad selection of ingestible CBD products and our new CBD HQ concept is the next evolution of our commitment to this thriving, innovative wellness category,” said Sharon Leite, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe, who added the retailer is experiencing ‘robust interest’ in CBD from their customers.
CB-Demand
“To meet that demand, The Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements continues to expand our industry-leading assortment of CBD products in trusted formulations that meet our exacting standards of quality,” said Leite.
The enthusiasm prompted the retailer to develop their specialized CBD channel by partnering with over 20 brands, including names like Garden of Life, Charlotte's Web, Irwin Naturals, Uncle Bud's, and SoulSpring, among others.
CBD HQ, available at the Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements, only features reputable brands that meet their high quality standards, according to the company.
This summer’s CBD newcomers are the Papa & Barkley and Hydrocanna brands. These offerings include a variety of formats, including ingestible CBD hemp extract formulations in liquid tinctures, capsules, gummies and beverages, as well as topical CBD products and beauty formulas.
“The Vitamin Shoppe already possesses a market-leading CBD assortment in-store, but branding this specialty merchandise will give them the ability to carve out space in the consumer's mind,” observed business strategist Joshua Schall of J. Schall Consulting.
Indeed, the Vitamin Shoppe is aiming to further distinguish itself from other retailers by personalizing the experience with incentives such as free nutrition coaching.
“While market-leading in-store merchandising is important, it really needs to be accompanied with an emphasis to create an equally impressive assortment online. This is especially important in today's retailing environment as 47% of CBD consumers purchased CBD online in Q2 2020, which is up from 29% in Q1, according to Brightfield Group," explained Schall.
From keto to CBD
Schall pointed to a similar move the retailer made in 2018, when the Vitamin Shoppe introduced KETO HQ. “They were similarly successful with branding their Keto merchandising as KETO HQ and subsequently creating National Keto Day.”
The Vitamin Shop previously said “With National Keto Day, the Vitamin Shoppe further affirms its position as the destination for everything keto” — now the retailer hopes to do the same with CBD.
The Vitamin Shoppe first launched CBD hemp extract products in April 2019 in 135 locations. The new CBD HQ experience is currently available in 572 locations in the Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements stores.