The Vitamin Shoppe
| File:The Vitamin Shoppe.png | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1977 (originally as Vitamin Shoppe Industries, Inc.) |
| Headquarters | Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S. |
Number of locations | 785 (as of December 2017) |
Key people | |
| Products | Nutritional supplements |
| Parent | Kingswood Capital Management Performance Investment Partners |
| Website | vitaminshoppe |
The Vitamin Shoppe (previously known as Vitamin Shoppe Industries, Inc. and branded as the VitaminShoppe) is a retailer headquartered in New Jersey that specializes in nutritional supplements. The company provides approximately 7,000 SKUs in its physical stores and more than 17,000 SKUs through its online platform. Between 2013 and 2016, it briefly operated three outlets in Canada under the brand VitaPath.
On December 16, 2019, Franchise Group completed its acquisition of The Vitamin Shoppe.
History
Established in 1977 by entrepreneur Jeffrey Horowitz, The Vitamin Shoppe expanded to become a significant entity within the nutritional supplement retail market. In 2002, Bear Stearns Merchant Banking acquired the company for roughly $310 million. The firm went public on October 26, 2009, with an initial public offering; that fiscal year it recorded net sales of $751.5 million and achieved a market capitalization exceeding $1 billion. Despite this growth, its stock price experienced a steep decline following a peak in February 2013.
Franchise Group, Inc. announced plans to acquire The Vitamin Shoppe in August 2019, thereby broadening its retail holdings. Subsequently, Laura Coffey was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in August 2020 as part of leadership restructuring.
Under the ownership of B. Riley Financial, financial difficulties led Franchise Group to prepare for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing scheduled for November 2024. Post-restructuring control was intended to transfer to HPS Investment Partners along with other creditors. Although bankruptcy proceedings commenced on November 3, 2024, The Vitamin Shoppe continued its operations uninterrupted.
In April 2025, Franchise Group reached an agreement to sell The Vitamin Shoppe to private equity firms Kingswood Capital Management and Performance Investment Partners for $193.5 million. This deal was finalized on May 15, 2025.
Products
The product assortment available at The Vitamin Shoppe’s brick-and-mortar locations and digital storefronts includes a variety of nutritional supplements. These comprise proprietary brands such as FitFactor, NatureFuel, ProBio Care, plnt, and Bodytech sports nutrition products. Additionally, the company features third-party professional and specialty supplement lines to diversify its offerings and extend market penetration.
A Harvard-led research study published in 2015 detected BMPEA in three supplements retailed by Vitamin Shoppe—JetFuel Superburn, JetFuel T-300, and MX-LS7. Due to safety concerns and potential regulatory violations with the FDA, these items were swiftly removed from sale.
Reception
On January 19, 2007, ConsumerLab.com revealed that Vitamin Shoppe’s "Especially for Women" multivitamin contained lead levels measuring 32.8 micrograms per serving—surpassing California’s legal limit by more than ten times. This raised serious health concerns including increased risks of cancer and death. Despite CEO Tom Tolworthy’s statements affirming compliance with good manufacturing practices and disputing contamination claims, the product was withdrawn following adverse media coverage.
In contrast, on June 15, 2011, the company's Ultimate Woman Gold multivitamin passed ConsumerLab.com’s rigorous evaluation among 38 leading multivitamins from the U.S. and Canada. The assessment tested ingredient accuracy, dissolution according to United States Pharmacopeia standards, lead content compliance under California Proposition 65 limits, and adherence to FDA labeling requirements.
References
- History of Vitamin Shoppe. Funding Universe
- Appointment of New Vitamin Shoppe CEO. New York Times, June 22, 2001
- The Unraveling of a Spinoff. New York Times, January 17, 2001
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Companies formerly traded on the New York Stock Exchange
- Hudson County, New Jersey-based companies
- Health food retail stores
- Mergers and acquisitions in 2002
- American firms founded in 1977
- Retail businesses established in 1977
- Franchise operations
- Food retail companies in the United States
- Nutritional supplement providers in the United States
- Initial public offerings in 2009
- Mergers and acquisitions in 2019
- Secaucus, New Jersey
- Establishments in New Jersey from 1977
- Companies that filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024
- 6
- American companies established in 1977
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment