Growth in categories such as probiotics, protein, and functional foods and strong performance in e-commerce offset some disappointing results and weaknesses in key categories, says Colin Watts, CEO of Vitamin Shoppe.
USANA Health Sciences reported $232.6 million in net sales in its fourth quarter, a 2.1% year-over-year increase. That amounted to $1.83 in earnings per share, but these figures disappointed analysts, and the company’s share price tumbled as a result.
Supplement giant NBTY has reported strong sales for many of its flagship brands it its Q1 earnings, and its CEO has dismissed media reports that it will sell its Holland & Barrett retail group.
After Whole Foods Market failed to shake its unwanted moniker “whole paycheck” by lowering prices on produce and other items that drive in-store traffic, the retailer is now trying its hand at aggressive promotional campaigns, including digital couponing.
The top 10 branded processed food companies in the US have lost 4% of their market share in the past five years as smaller, more innovative brands have seized the initiative, says Rabobank.
The notion that food consumers are more committed to transparency than are supplement users is not borne out at the retail level, experts from two natural channel retailers say.
Sales of dietary supplements and herbal supplements are up about 4% and 17%, respectively, for 2015 compared to 2014, according to new data from SPINS provided to NutraIngredients-USA.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has moved to have the lawsuit she filed against GNC heard in state court, countering a motion filed by the company to have the case moved into federal court.
Beefing up supply chain management has been a mantra in dietary supplement industry meetings over recent months. For that to be most effective, it needs to include a consideration of supply partners’ business practices, experts say.
NBTY recorded $3.23 billion in net sales in its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2015. That total represented a razor-thin gain from the previous, disappointing year but nevertheless was a result that management said it was “generally pleased” with.
GNC laid out a blueprint for the dietary supplement industry for a quality initiative including pre-market product registration at a meeting last week in Salt Lake City. The initiative builds upon GNC’s agreement with the NY AG office and is meant to...
The Vitamin Shoppe CEO Colin Watts said a slow pace of innovation in the supplements industry has hurt the company, which has relied on a rapid pace of new product launches to keep its shelves fresh. The company reported third quarter earnings that were...
GNC’s stock value took a significant hit following the release of disappointing third quarter earnings. The company finds itself between the rock of investigations by state attorneys general and the hard place of a turnaround effort that is proving more...
An improving economy and growing concerns over obesity and related health issues are creating a new category of shoppers, according to U.K.-based customer science firm Dunnhumby.
Online is increasingly a vital outlet for supplements, but which brands rule the internet, what’s their share, and how do they differ between the retailers online?
A new nutrition marketplace called Miramix has just launched that allows for the customization of all products it sells, and the company is plotting ambitious growth and expansion from the digital world to a brick-and-mortar retail presence.
American households - and eating habits - are changing, and food marketers need to catch up, says the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in its 2015 US Grocery Shopper Trends report. Here are 10 things that caught our eye...
In a climate of soft dietary supplement sales Vitamin Shoppe endured what CEO Colin Watts called a “difficult quarter.” The company is embarking on a new course that will see it pivot more toward functional foods and personal care, he said.
As Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage nears its 60th birthday, the company is nearing another milestone, too; the company is slated to open its 100th store this month, CEO Kemper Isley said.
GNC Holdings, whose revenue has been under pressure in recent quarters, delivered another mildly disappointing report for its second quarter 2015 earnings. Same-store sales were down and manufacturing revenues were off, with the company’s franchise store...
Distributors across the dietary supplement and natural products businesses are requiring higher liability insurance limits for their suppliers. That’s the bad news; the good news is that the insurance is cheaper than it has been in a while, said an independent...
US Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has sent letters to the Food and Drug Administration and 15 major retailers after launching an inquiry into products, regulations, and retailers in the dietary supplement industry that specifically market to seniors...
Executives are aggressively defending Whole Foods Market’s high prices, even as they tout the potential cost-savings for the consumers at the retailer’s newly named value chain.
Stepping beyond a company's in-house expertise and hooking into a provider of ingredient- and product-specific data can make R&D into more of a science and less of an art. Experts at Bulu Box, which generates data from its subscription-based...
In another confirmation of the transitory nature of the NYAG affair, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage reported stable growth in supplement sales in its half-year earnings results in which the dietary supplement and organic foods retailer saw overall...
Unable to shake its reputation for being notoriously expensive, Whole Foods Market is changing tack to appeal to less affluent millennials with the launch of a new value-focused chain.
‘There is plenty of innovation going on in dietary supplements’ and the NY Attorney General’s investigation is ‘a wake-up call for the retailers’, according to participants of NutraIngredients-USA retailer forum.
It's your last chance to register for the NutraIngredients-USA View from the Aisles Forum, with the hour long discussion to be broadcast tomorrow at 11am EDT - 10am CDT – 8am PDT.
Lower consumer engagement and an inadequate assessment of the impact of prior-year promotions, but not the NY AG’s probe, are responsible for a ‘disappointing’ Q1, said GNC’s CEO Mike Archbold.
By Daniel Fabricant, PhD, Executive Director and CEO, Natural Products Association
The digital marketplace, participating in advocacy efforts, and why membership of a trade association is important: In this guest article, Daniel Fabricant, PhD, Executive Director and CEO, Natural Products Association gives his views on the retail landscape...
Special Edition: View from the aisles: The retailers' perspective
The actions of the New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman have yet to filter down in a big way to the kind of questions retailers are getting from their customers on supplements. But business executives contacted by NutraIngredients-USA said that...
Special Edition: View from the aisles: The retailers’ perspective
The first retailer standard for dietary supplements in the Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) should be available this year, giving retailers a single standard and auditing program to help reduce audits and costs while strengthening safety,...
Special Edition: View from the aisles: The retailers’ perspective
Ingredient suppliers can spend a lot of time and money differentiating their products but how do they communicate with the consumer, what issues are important to retailers, and is the investment worth it?
By Daniel Fabricant, PhD, Executive Director and CEO, Natural Products Association
In the year since I’ve been back in the natural products industry, I’ve made it my mission to turn the tide on the political apathy that has plagued the industry in recent years, and to make it clear that whether you like it or not, if you’re in this...
April 8, 14:00 CET: Experts debate hot issues in NutraIngredients omega-3 forum
Are omega-3 fisheries really under threat? How many functional foods have cracked omega-3 blockbuster status? How is the sector recovering from the ‘Brasky effect’? How are developing markets developing? How is the latest research influencing regulation?...
As the middle class continues to grow in China, penetrating this market becomes a priority for US brands. Negotiating that bewildering process may have gotten a little easier with the launch of a web portal whose express purpose is to peddle ‘Made in...
After four separate rounds of testing, supplement retailing giant GNC has announced its Herbal Plus product line meet all requirements for safety, quality, purity and proper labeling.
Growth in organic, raw, non-GMO and allergy-free products is outpacing rest of business
Sprouts Farmers Market is exploring online delivery options, but hasn’t found a model that works, yet, chief financial officer Amin Maredia said this week.
Retailers not involved in the NY Attorney General’s investigation into the quality and standard of botanical supplements are also feeling an impact, albeit slight, says Tony Truesdale, CEO of Vitamin Shoppe.
GNC Holdings has responded to the NY Attorney General’s actions with full and robust responses to every question raised in the cease and desist letter, including original test results and the results of retesting that was performed on the product lots...
The overall sleep aid category is growing at an eye-watering 27% and is expected to hit $732 million in 2018, but natural products and dietary supplements only occupy a small portion of the market. NutraIngredients-USA explores the challenges and opportunities...
More consumers are seeking healthy foods and beverages at convenience stores, creating an opportunity in a previously often overlooked channel for manufacturers of these products to expand their reach, according to new market research from Technomic.
Non GMO positioning is becoming an ever hotter topic within the supplement realm. NutraIngredients-USA will examine the topic in an online forum on Feb. 26 with an expert panel drawn from trade organizations, manufacturers and retailers.
Supplement retailing giant GNC is teaming up with American Media, Inc. for an exclusive, multi-year ecommerce partnership on Shape, Men’s Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Natural Health, Muscle & Fitness, Flex, and Muscle & Fitness Hers websites.
As we enter the twilight days of 2014 the editors of NutraIngredients-USA become a reflective bunch. A lot of things happened this year, and here is our top 10 of most important events of 2014…
Fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service Blue Apron helps start-ups and small ingredient suppliers build brand awareness and consumer demand by introducing at home cooks to new products and taking the guess work out of the prep.