NATURE OF BUSINESS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2018

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

NATURE OF BUSINESS

NATURE OF BUSINESS

GNC Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Holdings,” and collectively with its subsidiaries and, unless the context requires otherwise, its and their respective predecessors, the “Company”), is a global health and wellness brand with a diversified, multi-channel business. The Company's assortment of performance and nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbs and greens, health and beauty, food and drink and other general merchandise features innovative private-label products as well as nationally recognized third-party brands, many of which are exclusive to GNC. 

The Company is vertically integrated as its operations consist of purchasing raw materials, formulating and manufacturing products and selling the finished products through its three reportable segments, U.S. and Canada, International, and Manufacturing / Wholesale. Corporate retail store operations are located in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, China and Ireland. In addition, the Company offers products on the internet through GNC.com, third-party websites, and prior to the sale of its assets on September 30, 2017, LuckyVitamin.com. Franchise locations exist in the United States and approximately 50 other countries. The Company operates its primary manufacturing facility in South Carolina and distribution centers in Arizona, Indiana, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. The Company manufactures approximately half of its branded products and merchandises various third-party products. Additionally, the Company licenses the use of its trademarks and trade names. 

The processing, formulation, packaging, labeling and advertising of the Company’s products are subject to regulation by various federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. These activities are also regulated by various agencies of the states and localities in which the Company’s products are sold.