Protein specialist Quest Nutrition enters club channel with distribution deals
Quest’s products, which range from protein bars to protein-rich pizza crust, can be found in conventional grocery stores, specialty supplement stores, as well as convenience stores.
With yesterday’s announcement, Quest Nutrition broke into the club store space, specifically in 600 Sam’s Club stores and 200 BJ’s Wholesale stores across the US.
The two competing club retailers will stock Quest’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bars and Cookies & Cream bars in value pack size, which holds 14 bars, for a suggested retail price of $23.99.
This new deal signals the enduring appeal of protein among consumers.
“This new distribution channel allows us to be available to consumers everywhere they shop—grocery, convenience, drug, mass, specialty, online outlets, and now club,” said the company’s CEO Dave Ritterbush in an emailed statement.
“With our commitment to making the foods you crave work for you, not against you, we’ve been riding a wave of growth through both new product innovation and base bar expansion since launching in 2010,” he added.
Quest’s bars are sweetened with erythritol and stevia, a differentiator in the carbohydrate-heavy snack bar set when the products first launched. Its products, including the bars for sale in the club channel, contains milk protein isolate and whey protein isolate as protein sources.
Despite the crowding protein bar space, Quest’s bars continue to post double-digit sales growth, according to data from IRI for the 52 weeks ending February 24, 2019.
According to Ritterbush, the foray into club “represents another step in our ongoing quest to make satisfying, complete protein, low sugar and low carb food available to everyone.”
