Meal replacement startup CTRL has announced a nationwide retail deal with The Vitamin Shoppe, establishing a presence in over 750 locations.
The deal will bring CTRL’s meal replacement shakes, which have been marketed mainly towards the esports and streaming community, to a broader audience across the United States.
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The expansion into The Vitamin Shoppe marks CTRL’s first retail move and builds on its growth since the brand’s launch back in October 2019.
According to CTRL, the brand has supplied over 500,000 meals. Moreover, the firm has gained the backing of big esports personalities such as Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, and Doug ‘Censor’ Martin, as well as support from FaZe Clan.
Skyler Johnson, the Co-Founder of CTRL commented: “As a former professional gamer, I saw the toll that poor nutrition and diet could have on our community and felt it firsthand. But before CTRL, nobody was connecting gamer culture, performance, and easily accessible nutrition.
“We’ve championed this cause, and the gaming community has returned our support with tremendous loyalty. It’s exciting to continue giving back to the community that gave me my start and to grow it even further with a physical presence through The Vitamin Shoppe.”
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More than 750 The Vitamin Shoppe stores will stock CTRL products. As part of the deal, CTRL and The Vitamin Shoppe will also team up on a campaign to bring awareness to the brand and the importance of healthy dieting and nutrition in gaming and esports.
Sundance DiGiovanni, Founder of Major League Gaming and Co-Founder of CTRL added: “We have earned an impressive degree of loyalty from our fans and it has laid the groundwork for sustained growth in this space.
“Gamers are a passionate and growing segment of consumers. It’s exciting to be able to connect that culture to brands and retailers that support a healthier lifestyle and share our mission.”
Esports Insider Says: It is nice to see a startup that began mostly in the esports sector becoming more accessible to the mainstream market. The partnership also does showcase the growing popularity of gaming-related health products.