Abbott in the right Zone

Pushing forward in the weight control market, a deal worth $160 million sees Abbott Laboratories as the new owner of ZonePerfect Nutrition, the fastest-growing brand in the nutritional bar segment.

Healthcare company Abbott​ announced the agreement for the acquisition last month. At the time, Mark F. Gorman, vice president of medical nutritionals at Abbot said that the deal would give Abbott the opportunity to expand from the 'medical nutritional category into the healthy living segment'.

Founded in 1996, ZonePerfect Nutrition products are based on the 40/30/30 carbohydrate, protein and dietary fat ratio. The brand is squarely positioned in the center of the rapidly growing healthy living and weight control categories.

In March this year the company said that sales of its convenience bars were up 345 per cent from 2002 in Target stores, drawing attention to the fact that overall nutrition bar sales rose by 36 per cent in the same period.

"Abbott's significant resources in research and development and in marketing, provide the business with new support for its growth initiatives - and that's a great opportunity for the ZonePerfect brand, retailers, and consumers,"​ said Gorman this week.

Under terms of the agreement, Abbott has acquired all of the equity of ZonePerfect Nutrition, formerly a privately held company. The transaction will not have an impact on Abbott's 2003 earnings per share guidance.