Walgreens, Sam’s Club to sell Nutrisystem plans
Philadelphia Business Journal - by Peter Key Staff Writer
Monday, December 7, 2009, 1:37pm EST | Modified: Monday, December 7, 2009, 1:41pm
Nutrisystem Inc. announced two new distribution channels for its weight-loss programs Monday: Walgreens and Sam’s Club stores.
Horsham, Pa.-based Nutrisystem expects cards for its weight-loss programs to go on sale in the diet section of Walgreens stores Christmas Day, and cards for its 35-day program will go on sale in the gift-card section of Sam’s Clubs in late December.
In October, Nutrisystem (NASDAQ:NTRI) said Sam’s Club’s parent, Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT), was making Nutrisystem’s 14-day Starter Program available in its 3,200 locations and on its Web site, Walmart.com.
Nutrisystem announced a distribution arrangement with Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) in January.
Walgreens is the only retailer selling the Nutrisystem D weight-loss program for people with Type 2 diabetes. Walgreens also will offer Nutrisystem’s 14-day Ready-to-go Starter Program and the 14-Day Silver Starter Program for mature dieters. In addition to selling the cards at its stores, Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. (NYSE:WAG) will sell them on its Walgreens.com Web site.
The 35-day Program being offered at Sam’s Club includes Omega Chews to provide Omega-3s, which are unsaturated fatty acids considered to be beneficial to health. Consumers who buy cards for the programs in a Walgreens or Sam’s Club will have to activate them online or by calling a toll-free number.
