Hometown Hype: The Vitamin Shoppe’s Experiential Retail Strategy Is a Sign of the Times
Taking a cue from top fitness and wellness brands, The Vitamin Shoppe is creating memorable shopping experiences while giving sports nutrition brands an interactive, in-store stage
The Vitamin Shoppe is rolling out a new retail concept: boutique-style “Hometown Stores” within its locations, featuring dedicated space for partner brands with headquarters or deep roots in the same metro area.
The experiential retail initiative comes amid strong demand for supplements, functional beverages and exclusive fitness and wellness-related merchandise, particularly among Gen Z and millennial consumers.
For partner brands, it offers a prominent platform within The Vitamin Shoppe with an expanded, custom-branded space to showcase product lines, host marketing activations and events and generate social content opportunities. Custom refrigerators are also available to display and store energy drinks, protein shakes and hydration beverages.
Several buzzworthy sports nutrition brands, including Bucked Up, Gorilla Mind, Raw Nutrition and Ryse, are already on board, with more on the way, according to the retailer. EHPlabs is also collaborating with The Vitamin Shoppe for”Community Hubs,” as the brand is based in Australia and has selected two U.S. stores (in Paramus, New Jersey and Houston, Texas) for its fan base.
“These custom-designed, shop-in-shop experiences are a game-changer,” The Vitamin Shoppe CEO Lee Wright said.”We’re offering our brand partners a unique opportunity to create dynamic retail showcases right in their own backyards, where they can connect with their most dedicated customers like never before. By expanding their presence within The Vitamin Shoppe, our partners can truly bring their brand stories to life through exclusive product, events and content—all while reinforcing our stores as the industry’s premier specialty wellness destination.”
Gorilla Mind has partnered with The Vitamin Shoppe on North Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, while Bucked Up has moved into the retailer’s Sandy, Utah, location and Ryse has set up shop in Frisco, Texas. Raw Nutrition, meanwhile, is slated to open within The Vitamin Shoppe’s Port St. Lucie store in Florida next month.
“Partnering with The Vitamin Shoppe to open our Bucked Up Hometown Store in Sandy, Utah, was a natural fit—giving us a space where the community can fully experience our brand,” Bucked Up CEO Ryan Gardner said. “This location showcases our full product lineup, exclusive drops and immersive in-store activations, giving customers an all-access pass to the Bucked Up lifestyle. The response has been incredible, and we’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation with The Vitamin Shoppe.”
In terms of in-store activations, Bucked Up went all out, even landing a helicopter at the Sandy, Utah, shop for a social media-worthy video. In Houston, Texas, EHPlabs kicked off its in-store launch with 400 attendees with a run club, live workouts, fitness contests, giveaways and more.
“The EHPlabs community understands and values our true commitment and partnership to The Vitamin Shoppe, and it has become the go-to destination for EHPlabs exclusives and first-to-market product launches,” EHPlabs CEO Izhar Basha said. “As part of the natural evolution of our partnership with The Vitamin Shoppe to create a brand immersive hub for our community, we are proud to launch our first-ever EHPlabs Community Hubs with The Vitamin Shoppe in Houston and New Jersey. Our vision is to bring the EHPlabs brand to life within these stores, execute new product development and cool exclusives, and be able to engage with our community at a deeper level by creating a feedback loop for experimental flavors and products.”
In an economy where capturing attention is as important as capturing wallet share, The Vitamin Shoppe’s latest strategy offers a potential playbook for fitness operators considering designating space for emerging activewear, sports nutrition or beverage startups.
Beyond The Vitamin Shoppe, functional fitness franchise leader F45 recently partnered with Red Bull in a multi-year deal, putting Red Bull products in F45 studios and giving members access to exclusive events, including fitness activations from the World of Red Bull. Global fitness leader Les Mills and Adidas are also gearing up for their joint 2025 tour, an experience that blends music, group fitness and Adidas products.