(BSNS WIRE) drugstore.com and GNC Expand Wellness Choices for Online Sho
drugstore.com and GNC Expand Wellness Choices for Online Shoppers With
Electronic 'Store-Within-a-Store'
Business, Health, and High Tech Editors
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1999--
drugstore.com is the Exclusive Retailer on the Web of GNC Brand
Products and New Rite Aid/GNC PharmAssure(TM) Supplements
drugstore.com (www.drugstore.com) (NASDAQ: DSCM), a leading
online source for health, beauty, wellness and pharmacy products,
today announced the opening of the General Nutrition Centers (GNC)
"store-within-a-store" on the drugstore.com Web site. General
Nutrition Centers is the largest specialty retailer of vitamins and
mineral supplements in the United States with more than 4,200 stores
nationwide. GNC's Web site (www.gnc.com) also is linked to the
drugstore.com site.
The "GNC Live Well" store (www.drugstore.com/gnc), located in the
drugstore.com Wellness section, will offer consumers:
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- GNC private label products and exclusive PharmAssure(TM) brand
vitamins and supplements.
- An extensive educational library on health, wellness and balanced
information on supplements.
- The ability to order many of the GNC vitamin, herbal and sports
nutrition products that GNC sells in its stores with the
convenience of home delivery. And, within a short period of time,
virtually all of the products found in a typical GNC store will
be available online at drugstore.com.
- Twenty percent off all GNC products on GNC's "Super Tuesday" -
the first Tuesday of every month starting today (October 5), for
consumers who use their GNC Gold Card. More than 3.6 million
consumers already hold a Gold Card, and drugstore.com customers
will soon be able to apply for a GNC Gold Card online.
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"GNC is the established market leader in the wellness category
and enjoys intense customer loyalty to their high-quality products,"
said Peter Neupert, president and CEO of drugstore.com. "Partnering
with GNC expands the range of health solutions available at
drugstore.com and provides GNC customers with an easy-to-shop online
resource."
"Vitamins and supplements are one of the fastest-growing retail
segments," said William E. Watts, president and CEO of GNC.
"Partnering with one of the most successful e-retailers enables GNC to
efficiently access the Internet-based mass market while maintaining
our focus on specialty retailing."
Under the terms of the agreement announced on June 22, 1999,
drugstore.com obtained the exclusive online rights to sell all GNC
brand products. While GNC will continue to maintain its own Web site,
all transactions will be conducted through the "GNC Live Well" store
at drugstore.com.
PharmAssure(TM) Brand Launch
The "GNC Live Well" store at drugstore.com also is the only
online source for PharmAssure, a new line of Rite Aid
pharmacist-recommended supplements being launched on October 10, 1999,
with a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign. Developed in
conjunction with Rite Aid, one of the nation's leading drugstore
chains, and top nutrition experts, PharmAssure products are formulated
to ensure maximum potency, safety and effectiveness. The PharmAssure
brand only is available at drugstore.com, GNC and Rite Aid stores
nationwide.
drugstore.com, Rite Aid and GNC will support the national launch
of the new PharmAssure brand product line with a coordinated marketing
effort. Cross promotion of drugstore.com and PharmAssure will be
featured in national television, print and Internet banner campaigns,
as well as in company and affiliate newsletters and through
drugstore.com's Associate Program.
GNC
Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., GNC is the only nationwide specialty
retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements, sports nutrition and
herbal products and also is a leading provider of personal care,
fitness and other health-related products. The company's products are
sold through a network of 4,296 retail stores operating under the
General Nutrition Centers, Health & Diet Center and GNC Live Well
names, of which 2,774 are company-owned and 1,522 are franchised. The
company's stores are located in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and 24
foreign markets. In June, GNC purchased a 6.8 percent stake of
drugstore.com for $2.4 million, including exclusive online rights.
drugstore.com
drugstore.com is a leading online drugstore and information site
offering health, beauty, wellness, personal care and pharmacy
products. drugstore.com provides a convenient, private and informative
shopping experience that encourages consumers to purchase products
essential to healthy, everyday living. drugstore.com offers thousands
of brand-name personal healthcare products at competitive prices, a
full service, licensed mail pharmacy, along with a wealth of
health-related information, buying guides and other tools designed to
help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers can
personalize their shopping experiences with shopping lists, e-mail
reminders for replenishing regularly used products and private e-mail
access to pharmacists and beauty experts for questions.
drugstore.com is a registered trademark of drugstore.com, inc.
PharmAssure is a registered trademark of General Nutrition
Centers, Inc.
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CONTACT: drugstore.com
Debby Fry Wilson
425/372-3208
debby@drugstore.com
or
for GNC:
Miller DeMartine Group
Gregory Miller
212/626-6694
gmiller@mdgpr.com
KEYWORD: WASHINGTON
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY RETAIL
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