Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. Announces International Expansion

- First Three Franchise Stores Open In Costa Rica

- Two Additional Franchise Stores In Panama

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Aug 31, 2016, 04:30 ET

SECAUCUS, N.J., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vitamin Shoppe^®, a multi-channel specialty retailer and manufacturer of nutritional products is pleased to announce the opening of the first three The Vitamin Shoppe franchise stores in Costa Rica and two additional franchise stores in Panama.

The franchise stores in Costa Rica will be operated by Vita Vida Limitada, an affiliate of The Vitamin Shoppe's franchise partner in Panama. Vita Vida and the team have been working for over two years to register products that will benefit the lives of the Costa Rican consumer and on August 31, 2016, The Vitamin Shoppe and Vita Vida celebrated the grand opening of three stores in San Jose, the country's capital and largest city. The Vitamin Shoppe stores will offer consumers a curated selection of The Vitamin Shoppe's proprietary brands and other leading third-party brand products. The franchisee is expected to open eight Vitamin Shoppe stores over the next five years in Costa Rica.

Commenting on the new stores, David Denker, Director, International Development for the Vitamin Shoppe stated, "The Vitamin Shoppe brand continues to resonate with customers outside the United States, and we are pleased to be opening stores in a second new country this year. Working with partners, such as Vita Vida, The Vitamin Shoppe is able to educate consumers about the supplements industry as well as how to live a health and wellness lifestyle."

In additional news, two new franchise stores opened in Panama, bringing the total Vitamin Shoppe stores operating in that country to four stand along locations and two store-within store locations. The two new stores opened in the cities of Panama City and David. The first The Vitamin Shoppe store in Panama opened in March 2013.

Marta Ferrer, General Manager of Vita Vida, commented, "We are very excited to be partnering again with The Vitamin Shoppe, a leading health and wellness retailer with over 750 stores in the United States. Costa Rica is the second country in which we are bringing nutritional products including; vitamins, minerals and supplements. Consumers love The Vitamin Shoppe brand and we continue to open new stores in Panama."

About the Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. (NYSE:VSI)

The Vitamin Shoppe is a multi-channel, specialty retailer and contract manufacturer of nutritional products based in Secaucus, New Jersey. In its stores and on its website, the Company carries a comprehensive retail assortment including: vitamins, minerals, specialty supplements, herbs, sports nutrition, homeopathic remedies, green living products, and beauty aids. In addition to offering products from approximately 850 national brands, the Vitamin Shoppe also carries products under The Vitamin Shoppe^®, BodyTech^®, True Athlete^®, MyTrition^®, plnt^®, ProBioCare^®, Next Step^®and Betancourt Nutrition^®brands. The Vitamin Shoppe conducts business through more than 750 company-operated retail stores under The Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements retail banners, and primarily through its website, www.vitaminshoppe.com. Follow The Vitamin Shoppe on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/THEVITAMINSHOPPE and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VitaminShoppe.