How supplement stores are trying to cash in on the ozempic boom

GNC and Vitamin Shoppe are redesigning displays and taking other steps to attract people who take or are interested in drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

As diabetes and weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have taken off in recent years, many people have turned away from diet products and

Now, two retailers specializing in nutritional supplements – GNC and Vitamin Shoppe – are trying new approaches to convince people who take these drugs or who are are interested in them.

GNC dedicates a wall of supplements in its more than 2,300 stores to products it believes will appeal to users of Ozempic, which contains the compound semaglutide, and other medicines known as GLP-1 medicines. . The chain also trains workers to help customers evaluate which substances might help them manage common side effects of these prescription medications.

Michael Costello, chief executive of GNC, said his company saw a "big opening" in helping people taking such medications to lose weight.

“As we looked at trends with people, where people are going, Ozempic and obviously Wegovy and other GLP-1s started blowing up,” Mr. Costello said in an interview. "We found that there were significant side effects for many of these drugs."

It's not clear how many Americans take Ozempic and similar drugs to lose weight, but Mr. . Costello referenced a Goldman Sachs study that estimates up to 70 million Americans will have tried these drugs by 2028.

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