GNC Holdings, Inc. Closes Secondary Offering and Completes Share Repurchase

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GNC Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GNC) (the "Company"), a leading global specialty retailer of health and wellness products, today announced the closing of an underwritten offering of 10 million shares of its Class A common stock sold by Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund II, L.P. ("Ares") and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board ("OTPP").  The Company neither issued nor sold any shares in the offering.  Goldman, Sachs & Co. was the sole underwriter for the offering.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110302/NE57701LOGO )

In addition, the Company completed the repurchase of six million shares of its Class A common stock directly from Ares in a private, non-underwritten transaction.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the shares referred to in this press release in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.  A registration statement relating to these securities (File No. 333-183188) was filed and became immediately effective upon filing. 

This offering may be made only by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained from:

About GNC

GNC Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., is a leading global specialty retailer of health and wellness products, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplement products, sports nutrition products and diet products, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "GNC."

As of June 30, 2012, GNC has more than 7,800 locations, of which more than 6,000 retail locations are in the United States (including 933 franchise and 2,157 Rite Aid franchise store-within-a-store locations) and franchise operations in 55 countries (including distribution centers where retail sales are made).  The Company — which is dedicated to helping consumers Live Well — has a diversified, multi-channel business model and derives revenue from product sales through company-owned retail stores, domestic and international franchise activities, third-party contract manufacturing, e-commerce and corporate partnerships.  The Company's broad and deep product mix, which is focused on high-margin, premium, value-added nutritional products, is sold under GNC proprietary brands, including Mega Men®, Ultra Mega®, GNC Total Lean™, Pro Performance®, Pro Performance® AMP and Beyond Raw®, and under nationally recognized third-party brands.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the Company's financial condition, results of operations and business that is not historical information.  Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "subject to," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "may," "will," "should," "can," the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy and outlook.  While the Company believes there is a reasonable basis for its expectations and beliefs, they are inherently uncertain, and the Company may not realize its expectations and its beliefs may not prove correct.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  Actual results could differ materially from those described or implied by such forward-looking statements.  For a listing of factors that may materially affect such forward-looking statements, please refer to our most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contacts:

Investors:
Michael M. Nuzzo, Executive Vice President and CFO
(412) 288-2029

or

Dennis Magulick, Senior Director – Treasury & Investor Relations
(412) 288-4632

SOURCE GNC Holdings, Inc