In this Issue

The Vitamin Shoppe for the past year has been steadily redefining the brick-and-mortar experience for natural health shoppers via its latest store prototype, the Brand Defining Store, currently in nine locations with another five to open soon. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to enhance our customer’s wellness journey, and our BDS stores are one of many examples of how we’re increasing consumer engagement and improving the customer experience overall,” Jason Reiser, The Vitamin Shoppe’s COO, told Drug Store News.

For decades, chain and independent retail pharmacy has been defined by its unyielding pursuit of professional recognition, fair reimbursement and full status as a member of the healthcare provider team. The industry has made huge strides toward that goal, thanks to massive investments in pharmacy technology and automation, which have enabled a shift in workflow, giving pharmacists the data and decision-making tools to support patient interventions and connect more seamlessly with the broader health network.

Sales of vitamins and supplements are generally 10 times greater across large retail chain outlets, including all major food, drug and mass retailers, as compared to specialty outlets. While sales through specialty channels are not nearly as great, the fact remains that the growth trends tracked through those channels, ranging from natural grocers to gourmet wellness stores, are great harbingers of what might soon be best-selling categories within mass outlets.

Supplements are providing the perfect complement to drug store retailers’ bottom lines. Including meal replacement bars, energy shots, protein shakes and diet aids, sales of dietary supplements and nutrition-packed products across the supplement aisle continued to grow at a healthy 4.7% clip with more than $13.4 billion in sales across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended April 16, according to the latest IRI data.

Today’s consumers want CPG companies to do things that impact the world, and to be part of brands that make the world better. Ignoring this new emphasis and continuing to focus on product itself will only lead to a loss of market share.

The question of how brands continue to remain relevant is one that is central among companies looking to make space for themselves among an ever-shifting consumer base. As companies look to engage the New General Market consumer, Seventh Generation CEO John Replogle said there is one key element uniting companies that are able to endure: Soul.

What can retailers do to create a better proposition for the New General Market? Where are the opportunities? How can retailers and brands work together to cultivate New General Market consumers and foster their success? How can they innovate with purpose and meaning with the common goal of connecting with the New General Market consumer?

Protein bars have been flying off the shelves in mass outlets lately. Sales of nutritional bars were up 3.4% to $2.4 billion for the 52 weeks ended April 16, according to IRI across total U.S. multi-outlets.