MusclePharm Pro Series Launch & Product Line Extension Creep | FitLife Brands 2024 Q3 Update

It took only a year, but it seems MusclePharm has again become a victim of product line extension creep. For those unaware, the supplement brands that are within the FitLife Brands portfolio are now categorized in three segments: Legacy FitLife Brands, which is broken into two sub-segments…NDS Products (which are a collection of brands mostly sold in the GNC franchise system), iSatori Products (which are a collection of brands sold through a diversified retail mix), and then Mimi’s Rock Corporation Products (which are a collection of brands mostly sold on Amazon), and MusclePharm. In total, the FitLife Brands portfolio is sold through more than 20,000 retail locations globally. In the third quarter of 2024, FitLife Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: FTLF) had revenues of $16 million…which was up 15% YoY. But though that YoY growth rate obviously looks strong, it’s important to remember that those reported results were greatly impacted by the MusclePharm acquisition that closed in October 2023. While there's strategic initiatives going on at legacy FitLife Brands and Mimi's Rock, the most intriguing segment within FitLife Brands is also currently its smallest...MusclePharm. In the third quarter of 2024, MusclePharm segment revenue was $2.5 million. And if you were wondering about YoY comparatives, let’s just say the Eric Hilman run MusclePharm bankrupt version outsold this current version. But that’s probably an apples-to-oranges comparison because Eric Hillman was focused on survival by any means necessary, and FitLife Brands is attempting to make strategic business decisions that support and optimize long-term growth. But while the sales channel mix of MusclePharm is currently 50/50 wholesale and online…it’s very likely the brand’s biggest long-term opportunities will come from offline retail. FitLife Brands has been making progress with new wholesale partners…noting that it secured placement for MusclePharm’s Combat Sport protein bars in several regional grocery and convenience chains. Moreover, FitLife Brands also announced that it would be launching a new advanced premium product line extension called MusclePharm Pro Series. The product lineup is said to currently consist of nine SKUs…and will be sold exclusively at The Vitamin Shoppe starting in the first quarter of next year. And here we go again! This has been a central theme within the MusclePharm story for much of the last decade…and what ultimately killed the sports nutrition brand. MusclePharm has chased off-brand trend after off-brand trend through line extensions…totally wrecking any semblance of what the brand stands for, and basically losing all emotional connection with consumers. Instead of supporting the brand/customer long-term, MusclePharm focused on pandering to retailer requests for this (or that) exclusive line extension. And while line extension creep at MusclePharm obviously started way before the acquisition, it’s surprising that FitLife Brands didn’t highlight that underlying driver of failure and learn from those past experiences. But all this shows me is that FitLife Brands still has no vision around MusclePharm. FOLLOW ME ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LINKEDIN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TWITTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FACEBOOK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠