GNC is struggling. It hopes Ozempic can give it a boost
By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
New York (CNN) — GNC, the vitamin and dietary supplement chain, has been struggling for years. The brand hopes a new strategy tailored to people taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss will help draw customers into stores and grow its business.
GNC announced Monday that it was adding a dedicated section in its 2,300 US stores with vitamins, protein shakes and supplements tailored to people managing GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. GNC is also training store employees on common side effects of GLP-1s and products the company is stocking for these issues.
The full impact of GLP-1s – or glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists – on peoples’ health remains unclear, but some people have reported side effects such as muscle loss and gastrointestinal problems. GNC is positioning its brand as a retailer that can support people managing these issues. Gyms, food manufacturers and retailers are adjusting their strategies to respond to the rise of GLP-1s.
“You’re dealing with GLP-1 side effects. Now what? We can help,” advertises an overhead banner in GNC’s new GLP-1 “support section.”
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is reaping huge profits from creating and selling the hit GLP-1 products. Other large pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Roche are racing to release their versions to the market.
US health care providers wrote more than 9 million prescriptions for Wegovy and other injectable drugs used for weight loss during the last three months of 2022 alone. JPMorgan researchers estimate that 30 million people may be taking GLP-1 drugs by 2030, or around 9% of the US population.
GNC, which filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and closed more than 1,200 stores, is the latest brand to build a strategy around people taking GLP-1s.
WeightWatchers launched a new membership plan for people that gives members access to doctors who can prescribe these medications. It also made a $100 million-plus deal to buy Sequence, a telehealth business that offers virtual prescriptions to patients for these weight loss drugs where appropriate.
Gyms are adjusting their strategies as more of their members take medications for weight loss. Luxury gyms such as Life Time are acquiring weight loss clinics with doctors who can prescribe GLP-1s, while Equinox debuted a personal training program for members taking GLP-1s to preserve muscle mass.
Food companies are also bracing for GLP-1 consumers to buy fewer sugary snacks and drinks. JPMorgan last year said that current GLP-1 users purchased around 8% less food — including snacks, soft drinks and high-carb products — over the prior year, compared with consumers who were not on these drugs.
Food giant Nestlé plans to invest more in nutritious products that it says provide “benefits” to people on GLP-1 treatments, such as its Opifast high-protein shakes.
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