GNC Holdings, Inc., a specialty retailer of health and wellness products, has announced the acquisition of A1 Sports Limited, a multi-brand sports nutrition eTailer that does business under the name Discount Supplements. A1 Sports also operates the Lucky Vitamin brand. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the acquisition, the three web sites — GNC.com, LuckyVitamin.com and discount-supplements.co.uk — will continue to operate as separate businesses with their own product offerings and customer bases.
This acquisition is facilitating GNC’s global expansion, as the sports nutrition market reached approximately $478 million (£300 million) in annual revenue, with e-Commerce capturing one third of the total, according to Joe Fortunato, Chairman, President and CEO of GNC. Currently, the retailer operates more than 8,300 brick-and-mortar locations worldwide, with franchises in 55 countries.
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“Entering the UK and other key European and Scandinavian markets, is a core elements of our strategic plan to expand GNC’s global reach,” Fortunato said. “With this acquisition, we are well positioned to capitalize on the fastest growing channel in Europe’s top market. We also see the potential to leverage GNC’s marketing, product development and procurement capabilities to drive synergies.”
