Is the “often imitated, never duplicated” influential epicenter of all ingestible CPG categories ready to disrupt its next market? And while the “best and brightest sports nutrition brands are now (or will soon start) competing against large CPG incumbents in every functional food and beverage subcategory over time…this isn’t another content piece about the competitive landscape “changing of the guard” happening within mega functional CPG markets like energy, hydration, or protein. Instead, I want to provide further support for another one of my ongoing sports/active nutrition predictions…which is more brands will begin disrupting the global stock markets. The inspiration for this content came from reading last week’s UK financial news piece that confirmed earlier speculations around UK-based sports nutrition brand Applied Nutrition moving forward with plans for a potential late-2024 IPO on the London Stock Exchange…seeking to value the company at more than $1.25 billion. For those that are unfamiliar with the sports nutrition brand, it began in 2014 when Thomas Ryder acquired one of the small struggling supplement lines he stocked in his specialty supplement store…believing its main product Critical Mass was being marketed incorrectly. Applied Nutrition would then go through an extensive strategic overhaul of every element from redeveloping products to rebranding and even shifting production away from Canada and into Belgium before deciding to build a manufacturing facility a year later. In 2021, JD Sports (the British sports-fashion retailer) made a significant minority investment that valued the company at about $100 million. The following calendar year, Applied Nutrition sustained the momentum by landing its first major grocery listings in the UK at ASDA, launching its Body Fuel line extension that started with an RTD hydration drink to take advantage of the “PRIME Effect,” and creating its first overseas subsidiary in the United States. But about 9ish months after entering the U.S. market, “All Black Everything” became (from what I know) the first sports nutrition brand headquartered outside of North America to land on all 4600 or so Walmart locations across the country. With successful large retail expansion also happening in the UK market, the beginning of 2024 saw the Applied Nutrition IPO rumor mill start up. And this was further supported when the company brought in Andy Bell to be Chairman, a seasoned entrepreneur that had taken his own company public six years ago…and hired an investment bank to advise on the process. I'll explain that despite respecting the asset-heavy build model, consistent top- and bottom-line growth, and overall ethics of the founder/company...I believe the reported valuation sought is more inflated than the Michelin Man! Also, the final section will breakdown arguably the most important market for Applied Nutrition, which is also the largest in terms of global supplement sales...as big changes have happened recently (or will begin happening soon) within the U.S. subsidiary of Applied Nutrition.

FOLLOW ME ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS