Vitamin Shoppe rose the most in more than two years after investment firm Carlson Capital disclosed a 5.3 per cent stake in the supplements retailer and said it plans to have discussions with management.
Carlson said in a filing that it already has spoken with Vitamin Shoppe’s executives and board and that it will continue to talk with them about its “business, management, strategic alternatives and direction.”
Vitamin Shoppe, which operates more than 700 stores, posted its first annual profit decline since its 2009 initial public offering last year. The stock also has languished, falling 17 per cent in the year through yesterday, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 12 per cent. The retailer earlier last month named Weight Watchers International Inc. executive Colin Watts as its new chief executive officer.
Dallas-based Carlson, led by Clint Carlson, manages about $9 billion. The stake disclosed Wednesday makes it Vitamin Shoppe’s fourth-largest investor, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The shares rose 14 per cent to $44.50 at the close in New York, the biggest one-day gain since November 2012.
Bloomberg News, edited by ESM
