The new development comes as the Pittsburgh-based health supplement company enters into an exclusive distribution partnership with DFI Retail Group - the parent company of Guardian.
GNC’s products, including vitamins, minerals and sport nutrition, will be available in Guardian’s online, offline stores, as well as in GNC’s standalone stores as soon as Q4 this year. Locations of GNC’s standalone stores will be announced at a later stage.
Last November, we reported that GNC Holdings LLC was evaluating the store leases of 54 outlets formerly run by its Singapore ex-franchisee after the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) upheld GNC’s rights to these outlets.
DFI already distributes GNC’s products through standalone stores and in Mannings across Hong Kong. Mannings is another health and beauty retailer run by DFI.
Under this expanded partnership, DFI will serve as GNC’s exclusive wholesaler, distributor and franchisee in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.
The partnership also marks a change in retail and distribution partner for GNC in Singapore, which has been working with another health and beauty retailer, Watsons, since October 2024 via an exclusive deal, following a three-year hiatus after its franchise business with ONI Global Pte Ltd had broken down. GNC first entered Singapore in 1997.
During its nearly two-year-long partnership with Watsons, dedicated store space was carved out in what was called the “store-within-store” concept for GNC’s products. Last September, GNC also announced that its products have been made available across all Watsons stores in Singapore.
Lead-up to the new development
According to GNC, its decision to re-establish standalone stores comes amid new developments in its legal rights to assume former GNC store leases in full.
On May 25 this year, the Singapore Court of Appeal upheld and enforced GNC’s rights to assume former GNC store leases in full. GNC added that it is now in the process of effecting the assignment of the relevant store leases.
“We look forward to reconstituting our store footprint in Singapore and remain focused on rebuilding and strengthening our presence in the market while continuing to deliver the quality, innovation, and science-backed wellness solutions consumers expect from GNC,” said Cheri Mullen, chief global franchise and wholesale officer at GNC.
