GNC to Open 300 Smoothie Bars in 2002 <b></b>

Pittsburgh-General Nutrition Companies will open as manyas 300 GNC Smoothie Bars in 2002 as branded elements of itscompany-owned and franchise stores. GNC smoothies will mix an arrayof fruit, including bananas, strawberries and peaches, with thecompany's most popular supplements. The smoothies will beoffered in categories like Sports, Nutrition, Energy and Lifestyle,and can be combined with 18 additional supplements.

"In test stores, both in mall and downtown locations, GNCSmoothie Bars increased foot traffic and created significantincreases in supplement sales," says Mike Meyers, presidentand CEO of GNC. "At the same time, GNC Smoothies add to ourcompetitive advantage in there ways. First, they provide GNC storeswith another health-related product segment. Second, they leveragethe GNC brand and our multimillion-dollar advertising andpromotions campaigns. And third, they leverage, at minimal cost,the existing investment in more than 4,500 corporate and franchisestores nationwide." -General NutritionCompanies