This episode was recorded in January at NRF 2020 Vision: Retail's Big Show.
Learn more about how The Vitamin Shoppe is creating safer ways to shop and resources to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
Entering The Vitamin Shoppe can feel like navigating a maze of personal wellness. With a vast variety of specialty products, it can be difficult to decide on the right one. But CEO Sharon Leite says the company’s store associates, or “health enthusiasts,” provide digestible information that “cuts through the clutter,” improving the store experience for consumers.
Leite joined the Retail Gets Real team from NRF 2020 Vision: Retail’s Big Show to chat about how the company is innovating to meet the needs of a quickly growing category.
Translating consumer needs is a skill Leite developed through her extensive experience working for retailers like Bath & Body Works and Sally Beauty, where she found effective retail fundamentals were transferable to any company’s success. She was tasked with refreshing The Vitamin Shoppe’s brand identity while preserving its decades-long history built on customer trust.
Consumers’ growing demand for improved wellness has provided opportunities for the company — almost 90 percent of customers are in The Vitamin Shoppe’s loyalty program, Leite said. Shoppers personalize their wellness journey and the company leverages technology to find the solutions consumers are looking for. When demand for CBD grew, The Vitamin Shoppe developed a specialized avenue for the product by partnering with reputable brands and continuing to offer the expertise that maintained consumer trust.
It’s not only about offering the best vitamin, but providing consumers with the resources to reach their individual health goals. “We want to help you become a better you, how you define it,” Leite said.
Listen to the episode to learn more about what it was like taking the helm at The Vitamin Shoppe and how Leite’s background prepared her for the role.
