Dive Brief:
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The Vitamin Shoppe on Monday announced a partnership with LA Fitness to sell goods within its health clubs. The wellness retailer has opened nine shops within LA Fitness since November, according to a company press release.
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The Vitamin Shoppe has opened the small format stores, which are approximately 300 square feet, in New York, New Jersey and Florida.
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At its in-gym locations, The Vitamin Shoppe sells a curated assortment consisting of more than 900 SKUs, including healthy snacks, beverages and supplements, and its own brands like BodyTech, BodyTech Elite, True Athlete and ProBioCare, the company said.
Dive Insight:
The Vitamin Shoppe's partnership with LA Fitness is the latest move the retailer has made to revamp its brick-and-mortar footprint.
Last October, the retailer debuted the first of five experiential stores that include services like on-demand digital product guides, enhanced mobile point-of-sale checkout, an "Only Me" health assessment, a body composition analysis station and a supplement sampling machine.
The Vitamin Shoppe is one of several retailers that have engaged with ancillary businesses and organizations. Kohl's, for example, teamed up with Planet Fitness to open workout centers adjacent to select Kohl's locations. Additionally, Kohl's last year unveiled a pilot program with WW (previously known as Weight Watchers) for an in-store WW Studio in Chicago.
The partnership also demonstrates a trend of retailers engaging with stores that have a smaller square footage. Target recently opened small-format locations near college campuses in Michigan, Kentucky and Washington, Ikea experiemented with smaller urban planning studios and Amazon launched Go locations that are smaller in size.
"This initiative represents an innovative new channel of distribution for The Vitamin Shoppe with great potential for growth, and we look forward to a productive partnership with LA Fitness." Sharon Leite, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe, said in a statement.
