From the rising popularity of creatine to the explosive growth of HMB, consumer preferences are shifting in real-time thanks to social media and GLP-1s (perhaps).
“It’s hard to draw a direct line, but anecdotally, we’re definitely seeing all of those things lift,” said Huntly, vice president of merchandising/DMM, sports & active nutrition at GNC. “One of the interesting things that we’re doing at GNC is we were one of the early adopters on really focusing a significant portion of the assortment and the store presentation on really the supporting products for GLP -1 users.
“Of those products, HMB, creatine, even the on-the-go protein is really an important part of being able to help consumers that are on those GLP -1 products fill in the nutritional gaps from the minimization of food that they’re taking in with the use of those drugs—so definitely seeing an uptick in all of those categories and products for sure. And really, as we started to focus in and really position parts of the store and the assortment to service that customer, we’re seeing those products move accordingly in terms of results as well.”
Huntly also addressed TikTok’s role in driving awareness and growth in the sports and active nutrition industry while acknowledging the challenges it poses in terms of retail pressure and profitability.
“One of the things we talked about on the panel is just the role of TikTok marketplace in bringing in a younger demographic to the space, so it’s definitely funneling a lot of awareness, for sure, into the categories,” he said.
“Some of the things we also talked about on the panel were just some of the challenges in terms of what it does to the broader industry and some of the categories from just an overall depression of retail and profitability because it is meant to be an entry point for people into the space. And because of that, you’re seeing a lot of retail pressure relative to what you see in brands and products across the rest of the market.”
To hear more on challenges in protein pricing and supply chain management as well as the restrictive state regulations’ impact on GNC stores, watch the full video.
