Store sales at GNC’s domestic company-owned locations decreased by 0.7%, while franchise locations saw decreases of 3.2% in the first quarter of 2014, with the company’s CEO attributing the decline to a combination of bad weather in January and February...
If you want to see what success looks like in US grocery retailing, look no further than Trader Joe’s. Its unique combination of affordable prices, innovative private label items and gourmet, organic, and natural foods have helped drive sales per square...
The Natural Products Association (NPA) announced this morning that Daniel Fabricant, PhD, will succeed John Shaw as chief executive officer of the organization effective immediately. Shaw had tendered his resignation several days ago, the organization...
Having a social media strategy as a foundational piece of a business can yield huge dividends in growth, as Lincoln, Neb. startup Bulu Box has demonstrated. Founded by couple Stephanie and Paul Jarrett, Bulu Box uses a sampling method pioneered elsewhere...
Amway, the world’s largest network marketing company, has broken ground on a $25 million manufacturing facility in Bihn Duong, Vietnam, the company announced recently. The facility will be devoted to the production of the company’s Nutrilite brand of...
Supplement retailer Vitamin Shoppe is continuing to expand its private label offerings having launched more than 60 private label products in 2013, and the latest – Next Step – is said to be its most ambitious launch to-date.
Severe and unusual winter weather has affected the entire US economy. And it has affected supplements retailing giant GNC, too; in its Q4 2013 earnings posted yesterday the company cited winter storms as the prime factor in missing its projections despite...
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has reported a 26% net sales increase year-over-year in its first quarter of fiscal 2014. The company also recorded 10.6% comparable store sales growth, maintaining momentum in this key metric.
Nutraceutical International Corporation will continue to align itself with a growing list of dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers in seeking out acquisition opportunities to grow the business, chairman and CEO Bill Gay said.
Growth in private label and one of its recently launched MyTrition products already a top selling product, Vitamin Shoppe is planning more new product introductions by year end, said the company’s CEO.
A dossier of scientific data that convinced Health Canada and Intertek Cantox of the safety of bitter orange extract, synephrine, has been sent to Finnish authorities which recently banned weight loss products containing the stimulant, along with caffeine.
The membership of the Natural Products Association rejected a move to expand retail membership beyond traditional health food stores. But it passed another bylaw change that might make future adjustments of the organization’s bylaws easier.
Supplement manufacturer Doctor’s Best learned some surprising things through the first six months of its front-of-label QR code education initiative. While it was aimed at consumers, it’s the retailers who seem to use it the most.
Dutch authorities have issued a warning against a US fat burning food supplement called Dexaprine after 11 adverse reactions including hospitalisations and severe heart problems.
Herbal dietary supplement sales increased 5.5% in the United States in 2012 according a new report in HerbalGram, the publication of the American Botanical Council.
Sales of organic products rose 13% to $11.2bn in the year to July 6 in the US retail market, with the highest growth found in shelf-stable meats, poultry and seafood (+61%); followed by baby food (+34%); and shelf-stable functional beverages (+33%); according...
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc., a major dietary supplements and organic foods retailer, has reported 30.5% sales growth and double digit comparable store sales growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2013.
Direct selling giant Herbalife has passed a milestone by receiving its 25th direct selling license in China. Direct selling activities are closely regulated in China, making the receiving of licenses a key metric for growth in the country.
Supplements giant NBTY generated modest sales growth in the third quarter of 2013, with strong growth in branded supplements partially offset by a decline in private label and contract manufacturing sales.
Vitamin Shoppe has reported solid sales growth despite posting slower than average comparable store sales figures growth, company officials told analysts when discussing the company’s second quarter 2013 earnings results recently. Bright spots in the...
The recent journal paper that claimed fish oil may increase the risk of prostate cancer is ‘one of the craziest articles I’ve read’, says GNC CEO Joe Fortunato, who says fish oil is ‘the most clinically tested, scientifically-based product we sell’.
Sports nutrition marketers have traditionally focused on young men, sports teams and hardcore athletes. In future, however, they will need to spend more time targeting women, weekend warriors and consumers pursuing individual sports and fitness activities...
Vitamin Shoppe’s ‘unique’ multipacks for men and women branded as Mytrition are doing ‘very well’ and current sales performance has led to plans for the retailer to expand the range from 6 to 10 SKUs, said the company’s CEO.
Nutraceutical International Corp. posted a 5% growth in net sales in the second quarter in earnings released yesterday. The company brought in $53.6 million in net sales in the quarter, compared to $53.9 million in the same period a year earlier.
GNC is pushing strongly ahead with a social media marketing campaign to further expand its “unique customer base” said CEO Joe Fortunato in the company’s fourth quarter earnings call.
Growth in the US sports nutrition market has been pretty explosive in recent years, but the failure of high profile launches such as PepsiCo’s Gatorade G Series Fit range shows that even the biggest players sometimes get things badly wrong, says one market...
When entrepreneur Tyler Johansen was launching a supplement designed to help boost students’ concentration, he decided to play in a sphere where snap decisions are made, at the edge of the counter in the point-of-purchase marketplace.
Vestcom, a provider of shelf-edge pricing and product information for grocery retailers, has entered the dietary supplements retailing space with the launch of vitaAisles, a new service that provides nutrition and health claims information for a wide...
CytoSport, Inc., maker of Muscle Milk, has launched a new protein shake containing BASF’s CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) for women with active, healthy lifestyles.
The Vitamin Shoppe has announced its entry into the Canadian market, with the opening of two stores in the Toronto area. Under the Vitapath banner, the company said it plans to open stores across Canada.
The planned acquisition of Super Supplements, a Seattle-based chain, by Vitamin Shoppe Inc. appears to be in question after the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to extend its investigation into the transaction past the planned Dec. 31 closing date.
Vitamin Shoppe Inc. has acquired Seattle-based chain Super Supplements in a transaction that makes both strategic and cultural sense, says Vitamin Shoppe CEO Tony Truesdale.
LifeVantage, the manufacturer of the herbal supplement Protandim, was on the financial ropes when it took the leap into network marketing. The turnaround since then has been nothing short of remarkable, said Doug Robinson, president and CEO.
GNC is ramping up its already brisk pace of new product introductions to drive future growth, CEO Joe Fortunato said in a Q3 earnings conference call on Thursday.
There is a moment at the end of the legendary computer game, Mortal Kombat, where you have just beaten seven shades of something out of your opponent and all that is left is one final blow. ‘Finish him!’ says the game, and you ready your thumbs for the coup...
A report in the latest issue of HerbalGram, the publication of the American Botanical Council, shows herbal supplements sales in all channels hit $5.3 billion in the United States in 2011, representing a healthy 4.3% increase from 2010.
Direct selling giant Amway is on schedule for its a new 48,000-square-foot extraction and concentration facility in Quincy, WA, as the company breaks ground on its Nutrilite Botanical Concentrate Manufacturing facility.
Competition in online supplement retail category is hotting up as Amazon gets aggressive on core product prices, according to a new report from Wells Fargo Securities.
Vitamin Shoppe has reported a record second quarter with gross profit increasing 16.3% on the same quarter of last year, with the pre- and post-workout category growing consistently despite the ongoing DMAA controversy.
The $8.1 million in total fines for Bodybuilding.com and the DeLuca brothers should serve as a reminder for retailers as well as manufacturers of their responsibility to ensure dietary supplements really are dietary supplements, says a US Attorney.
Supplement giant GNC - which put its head above the parapet in April to defend DMAA while the rest of the trade kept silent - says it has since “made a very concerted effort to move away from DMAA products in our stores”.
Nutritional supplements giant GNC has boosted its presence in the fast-growing e-commerce channel with the acquisition of online discount supplement retailer LuckyVitamin.com for an undisclosed sum.