GNC 2009 Annual Report Download - page 6

Table of Contents
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS.
GNC
With our worldwide network of over 6,600 locations and our www.gnc.com website, we are the largest global specialty retailer of health and
wellness products, including vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements ("VMHS") products, sports nutrition products, and diet products. We
believe that the strength of our GNC® brand, which is distinctively associated with health and wellness, combined with our stores and website,
give us broad access to consumers and uniquely position us to benefit from the favorable trends driving growth in the nutritional supplements
industry and the broader health and wellness sector. We derive our revenues principally from product sales through our company-owned
stores, franchise activities, and sales of products manufactured in our facilities to third parties. Our broad and deep product mix, which is
focused on high-margin, value-added nutritional products, is sold under our GNC proprietary brands, including Mega Men®, Ultra Mega®, Pro
Performance®, and Preventive Nutrition®, and under nationally recognized third-party brands.
Our domestic retail network, which is approximately nine times larger than the next largest U.S. specialty retailer of nutritional supplements,
provides a leading platform for our vendors to distribute their products to their target consumer. This gives us leverage with our vendor partners
and has enabled us to negotiate product exclusives and first-to-market opportunities. In addition, our in-house product development capabilities
enable us to offer our customers proprietary merchandise that can only be purchased through our stores or our website. As the nutritional
supplement consumer often requires knowledgeable customer service, we also differentiate ourselves from mass and drug retailers with our
well-trained sales associates. We believe that our expansive retail network, our differentiated merchandise offering, and our quality customer
service result in a unique shopping experience.
Our principal executive offices are located at 300 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222, and our telephone number is
[phone]. We also maintain a website at www.gnc.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current
reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), except from March 16, 2007 to August 28, 2007 when our form S-4 filing became effective, when our
equivalent reports were made available to noteholders free of charge on our website or upon written request to 300 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania 15222, Attention: Chief Legal Officer. The contents of our website are not incorporated by reference in this report and shall not be
deemed "filed" under the Exchange Act.
In this report, unless the context requires otherwise, references to "we," "us," "our," "Company" or "GNC" refer to General Nutrition Centers,
Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Corporate History
We are a holding company and all of our operations are conducted through our operating subsidiaries.
On February 8, 2007, GNC Parent Corporation, our ultimate parent company at that time, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger
with GNC Acquisition Inc. and its parent company, GNC Acquisition Holdings Inc. On March 16, 2007, the merger (the "Merger") was
consummated. Pursuant to the Merger agreement, as amended, GNC Acquisition Inc. was merged with and into GNC Parent Corporation, with
GNC Parent Corporation as the surviving corporation. Subsequently on March 16, 2007, GNC Parent Corporation was converted into a
Delaware limited liability company and renamed GNC Parent LLC. 1