the Joshua Schall Audio Experience Joshua Schall

Remember almost 2 years ago when I said that GNC was trying to pull off this magical feat where it could close 1000+ store locations, but actually grow its physical retail exposure? Well, it’s magician clout just got a major boost after it secured arguably the most important strategic retail partnership. On 6/7/21, GNC announced that it entered into an exclusive agreement with Walmart to sell a selection of its GNC private label product assortment including vitamins, nutritional products, sports nutrition, and weight management products. These will be available through more than 4,000 Walmart stores and online starting this month. It’s also not hard to understand why GNC would want to partner with Walmart; Walmart is the most powerful physical retailer in the U.S and Walmart also sells the most VMS supplements in the U.S. (even more than GNC itself). GNC is a very well-known brand to the collective American consumer, but many of these wellness category consumers might fall into distinct groups that would normally step into a GNC store. Wellness consumers aren’t static, so GNC hopes that when they are ready to take their wellness journeys to the next level, it will be in its stores for the full GNC experience. The ultimate goal of converting Walmart shoppers into GNC loyalty members could drive long-term growth, as the vast majority of GNC revenue comes from loyalty members. The biggest question is...will this strategic retail partnership push the needle for GNC?

The “COVID-19 Effect” has substantially increased the prioritization of wellness among global consumers, but is your own myopic view of the construct leaving opportunity on the table? Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. As a modern concept, wellness gained popularity in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when subject matter experts largely shaped the way we conceptualize and talk about wellness today. In a 1979 “60 Minutes” segment, Dan Rather stated, “Wellness, there’s a word you don’t hear everyday”, but today most Americans do hear that word every day. That being said, Americans aren’t the only ones paying attention to wellness, as the global wellness market is estimated to be $1.5 trillion and growing mid-to-high single-digits annually. A rise in both consumer interest and purchasing power presents tremendous opportunities for functional CPG brands. At the same time, the wellness market is getting increasingly crowded, creating the need to be strategic about where and how they should compete. So, how do you view wellness? Maybe you said improving your general health or working out more, but that’s only a few ways that today’s consumers view wellness. 

They tend to have a much broader and more sophisticated lens that now encompasses six dimensions...


Better Health
Better Fitness
Better Nutrition 
Better Appearance 
Better Sleep
Better Mindfulness 

With that knowledge, I'll share several strategies functional CPG brands could deploy to be best positioned in this growing wellness market.

For those that aren’t too familiar with who the publicly-traded (OTCMKTS: BILZF) Ignite International Brands is and maybe even who Dan Bilzerian is…check out my first piece of content about the subject matter that I published about 6 months ago [https://youtu.be/pqDvxbpeD5w]. My hope for this podcast episode is that it will be both entertaining to casual observers of the CPG industry, but also provide insightful information for those CPG professionals that are curious about how an influencer-led multi-category brand is performing in the current business landscape. I'll breakdown how Ignite International Brands could be profitable from a bottom-line perspective, but not operationally and how those underlying factors might influence its ability to sustain profitable growth and business operations throughout 2021 and beyond.

When Chinese businesses shut down last mid-to-late January for their 2020 New Year, it marked the end of “business as usual” for the functional CPG industry. Many shoppers still have a small hint of PTSD from seeing empty retail shelves caused by constant supply shortages of CPG essential goods in the early months of the pandemic. Despite being more than a year from those March and April 2020 pantry loading periods, another group of shoppers unfortunately could be facing an even worse (and potentially longer) period of supply shortages. This time it’s hitting really close to home, in the functional food, functional beverage, and nutritional supplement CPG categories.

The goal for this podcast episode is to:


Explain major macroeconomic variables that could be causing the current supply chain situation
Discuss the functional CPG market outlook for the next 6-12 months
Provide preparation strategies to functional CPG brands 
Touch on how the functional CPG industry can avoid similar future problems

MusclePharm announces it’s re-entering the energy beverage space in conjunction with its latest earnings and I’m still sitting here confused if I’m being completely honest. For those unaware, MusclePharm had energy drinks in the mid-2010s under the Energy Sport and Energy Sport Zero offerings. While I thought the product was decent at the time, it never took off likely due to outside factors that likely surrounded a poor sales/distribution strategy and team execution. This time around, MusclePharm is attempting to circumvent the previous issue by partnering with a energy beverage industry veteran. Assuming the sales/distribution strategy and team execution will be better this time, why am I still bearish on the idea? Additionally, why do I believe a clause in the new CFO's employment contract could mean that MusclePharm is positioning itself to be an acquisition target in the next two years?

Did a recent M&A transaction between a global fitness company and nutritional supplement brand signal more lookalike activity could be ahead? It seems this deal stayed mostly under the radar (at least in America), but F45 Training acquired True Protein for an undisclosed amount. Ten years ago, F45 Training started in Australia and became a 1750+ global fitness studio franchise that combines 45-minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), functional training and circuit training. True Protein is a family-owned Australian nutritional supplements that was founded in 2014. Why did F45 Training make this M&A Move? Were there inspirations in the market already that combined fitness (media or equipment) with supplements? Could this lead to more fitness companies like Peloton, Mirror, or Tonal to make similar M&A moves or even internally create and launch their own supplement brands? How does this discussion fit into our personalized lifestyle future?