Endurance ambition: GNC launches Climb Fuel Gel to meet growing demand in APAC
Launching this month, GNC Climb Fuel Gel is designed to aid in hydration and energy supply which are critical needs for endurance athletes to maximise sports performance.
The gel will come in two flavours (strawberry and orange mango).
GNC Climb is a line of sports nutrition products suited for endurance sports consumers such as biking or running, focusing on endurance, energy and recovery.
The firm is also focused on expanding in Australia where it sees great growth potential for sports nutrition. Its products are currently available through retail partners in the country.
The firm’s vice president, global research, development & innovation, Dr. Sudipta Veeramachaneni told NutraIngredients-Asia, “(We) see a strong consumer demand for high quality health and wellbeing products in Singapore, Australia and the Philippines.
“APAC is an important market for us, and we are actively exploring new ways to capture market share in that region through an expanding network of retail locations and partners, as well as e-commerce operations.”
APAC consumer trends
Veeramachaneni said growing consumer desires to focus on health has been driving interest in sports nutrition across the APAC region.
“We’ve seen that sports nutrition has continued to move beyond its traditional core audience of athletes and body builders with the growth in popularity of mass-market products like protein bars.”
However, she stressed that each APAC market has seen different triggers, ranging from changing beauty standards to growing obesity concerns.
“As the APAC region is an emerging sports nutrition market, our customers are pursuing different types of activities to focus on health. This includes cardio, weight lifting, yoga, tai chi, etc. Ingredients such as collagen, traditionally associated with beauty, also play a role in joint health and therefore sports nutrition.”
The desire for ‘clean’ products will also continue to grow across the APAC region. Veeramachaneni said GNC is tapping on this trend by releasing products under its Earth Genius Brand which are vegetarian, gluten free, contain no artificial flavors, colours or sweeteners or GMOs.
2020 strategy
For GNC, its bestselling products include the Pro Performance and AMP Pro Performance lines, according to Veeramachaneni.
She said whey proteins, creatine, and branched chain amino acids are popular as they play a critical role in fueling exercise performance, helping with muscle recovery and energy production in the muscle.
In the new year, GNC will focus on flavour innovation in its Pro Performance and AMP Pro Performance line.
Its Pro Performance line “is a great starting point for someone that is interested in focusing on sports nutrition,” Veeramachaneni said.
On the other hand, its AMP Pro Performance product range was designed for serious athletes.
In order to maximise sports performance, she stressed it was not enough to support muscles alone, adding: “Healthy joints are a critical element of peak performance.”
GNC launched Tamaflex in 2018, which is a botanical blend proven to improve joint function and stiffness in healthy adults.
Veeramachaneni explained: “Tamaflex can be used as a key part of a post exercise recovery program.” Tamaflex is available in some APAC markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
