Redcon1 products Total War (a pre-workout supplement), MRE Bar (protein bars), and MRE Lite (low carbohydrate protein powder) will hit shelves at all 160 US Vitamin World stores starting September 1, the sports nutrition company announced in a statement issued yesterday.
According to Aaron Singerman, CEO of Redcon1, the deal is “exciting for both companies. [Vitamin World] is rapidly growing and improving as a company. Redcon1 is doing the same.”
The Nature’s Bounty Co., previously known as NBTY, sold its retail component Vitamin World in 2016 to private investment firm Centre Lane Partners. The retailer switched hands again in January this year when Chinese dairy and infant formula company Feihe International completed an acquisition of the retailer for an undisclosed sum.
Standing out in the sports nutrition space
The sports nutrition brand is aggressively expanding its footprint in the United States. In addition to its direct-to-consumer channel, which makes up a large portion of its business, its products are also sold through Bodybuilding.com, GNC, and GNC’s Amazon storefront.
In May, the brand inked a nationwide distribution deal with The Vitamin Shoppe, marking it as the largest sports nutrition launch for the retailer.
According to Singerman, Redcon1’s branding, full of military references, is what helps the products stand out in the crowded sports nutrition space (the name itself is a US military term, which means a unit is fully alert, ready to move and fight).
Many of its 4,500 strong brand ambassadors, which the company calls Tier Operators, are currently serving or are retired from the US armed forces.
“Early on, we pursued a multi-channel approach for distributing the brand; we want to be in as many doors as possible,” Singerman told us in a past interview.
On the new deal with Vitamin World, he added: “I can't wait to see what this new partnership brings in the near future as we continue to spread health and wellness throughout the country.”