It's bad news across the sector for vitamin and supplement stores; even names as established as Vitamin Shoppe are feeling the pinch. Sales have been trending downwards, with an 8.5 plunge in 2017 bringing the company's top line down to around $1.2bn. Again, that sounds like a lot to the average person, but the worth of that money to a company depends on how much debt it has, and what its operating costs are.
Vitamin Shoppe is down, but not out. Management at the firm has decided that malls are just less popular than they used to be and trying to coax people back down the conventional routes won't work. Instead, they're looking at expanding the services they offer online to include delivery, diversifying the range of products they offer and getting involved in live events. Whether any of these strategies will pay off remains to be seen, but they still have time to try.