Basis of Presentation

6 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

1. Basis of Presentation

        We have prepared these financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") applicable to interim financial information and on a basis that is consistent with the accounting principles applied in our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, including the notes thereto (our "2011 Financial Statements") included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K ("2011 Annual Report"). In our opinion, these financial statements reflect all adjustments (including normal recurring items) necessary for a fair presentation of our results for the interim periods presented. These financial statements do not include all information or notes necessary for a complete presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows in conformity with GAAP. Accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the 2011 Financial Statements. Results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results which may be achieved for a full year.

        On October 1, 2010, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of July 15, 2010, among NBTY, Alphabet Holding Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Holdings") formed by an affiliate of TC Group, L.L.C. (d/b/a The Carlyle Group ("Carlyle")), and Alphabet Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Holdings ("Merger Sub"), formed solely for the purpose of entering into the Merger, Merger Sub merged with and into NBTY with NBTY as the surviving corporation (also referred to herein as the "Merger" or the "Acquisition"). As a result of the Merger, NBTY became a wholly owned subsidiary of Holdings.

        Merger Sub was deemed to be the acquirer for accounting purposes and therefore, the Acquisition was accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with the accounting guidance for business combinations and non-controlling interests. Accordingly, the purchase price of the Acquisition has been allocated to the Company's assets and liabilities based upon their estimated fair values at the acquisition date. For accounting purposes, the purchase price allocation was applied on October 1, 2010.

        For the six months ended March 31, 2011, Merger expenses consisted of $15,660 in financing costs associated with an unused bridge loan, $14,324 for a portion of the transaction fee paid to Carlyle, $6,929 for an employment agreement termination payment due to a former executive officer and $6,952 of other merger related costs. For the three months ended March 31, 2011, Merger expenses were $4,991. There were no Merger expenses for the three and six months ended March 31, 2012.

Estimates

        The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These judgments can be subjective and complex, and consequently actual results could differ materially from those estimates and assumptions. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our most significant estimates include: sales returns, promotions and other allowances; inventory valuation and obsolescence; valuation and recoverability of long-lived assets; stock-based compensation; income taxes; and accruals for the outcome of current litigation.

Accounts Receivable Reserves

        Accounts receivable are presented net of the following reserves:

	March 31, 2012		September 30, 2011
Allowance for sales returns	$	10,981	$	10,793
Promotional programs incentive allowance		78,451		74,593
Allowance for doubtful accounts		5,521		5,468
	$	94,953	$	90,854

Recent Accounting Developments

        In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") amended its guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income in financial statements to improve the comparability, consistency and transparency of financial reporting and to increase the prominence of items that are recorded in other comprehensive income. The new accounting guidance requires entities to report components of comprehensive income in either (1) a continuous statement of comprehensive income or (2) two separate but consecutive statements. The provisions of this new guidance are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. However, the requirement to present items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income alongside their respective components of net income and other comprehensive income has been temporarily delayed by the FASB until further evaluation can be done on the impact of its implementation. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on our financial statements.

        In September 2011, the FASB issued guidance to allow an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. If after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, an entity determines it is not likely that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is not required. This new guidance is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of the guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.