The Vitamin Shoppe Partners With L.A. Fitness

The Vitamin Shoppe has begun opening 300-square-foot shops inside L.A. Fitness health clubs and will be expanding sales of its health and wellness products through additional partnerships and distribution channels. So far, Vitamin Shoppes have opened inside nine L.A. Fitness gyms. The Vitamin Shoppe will monitor the new format through its first fiscal quarter — which concludes at the end of March — to gauge the fit of the partnership and determine whether to open more shops. The in-gym Vitamin Shoppes offer sports nutrition products, vitamins, minerals, supplements and on-the-go snacks and beverages considered healthy, comprising about 900 stockkeeping units compared to the 6,100 sku’s at the average Vitamin Shoppe store. Vitamin Shoppe pays rent on the shops and merchandises and operates them with their own associates called “health enthusiasts.” The deal between The Vitamin Shoppe and L.A. Fitness reflects an accelerating trend in retail toward forming collaborations, sometimes with unlikely partners such as Kohl’s Corp. hooking up with Amazon to accept Amazon returns, Saks Fifth Avenue licensing the Barneys New York name, or Nordstrom selling Topshop and Everlane. “These new collaborations are really smart and we will see a lot more of them,” said Sharon Leite, chief executive officer of The Vitamin Shoppe.

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