Merchandising leader to advance The Vitamin Shoppe’s growth strategy through product innovation, differentiated assortments, and strategic brand partnerships

SECAUCUS, N.J., Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Vitamin Shoppe®, a leading specialty retailer of health and wellness products, today announced the promotion of Jack Gayton to Senior Vice President, Merchandising, effective immediately. Gayton will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Sharon Leite and assume leadership of the company’s merchant and product development organization.

Gayton assumes the top merchandising role from Muriel Gonzalez, President of The Vitamin Shoppe, who announced her retirement after an extraordinary retail career spanning more than four decades. Since joining The Vitamin Shoppe in 2020, Gonzalez has played a defining role in advancing the company’s merchant-led specialty retail strategy by reimagining its product vision, accelerating the development of high-quality proprietary products, and strengthening partnerships with leading brands.

“Jack is an outstanding merchant with strong commercial instincts, a deep understanding of our customer, and a proven ability to identify the brands, products, and trends shaping health and wellness,” said Leite. “We are pleased to recognize and promote talent from within, and Jack’s advancement reflects the meaningful impact he has had across our merchandising organization. I have tremendous confidence in his leadership as we continue to strengthen The Vitamin Shoppe’s position as a trusted destination for quality products, emerging innovation, and expert guidance in health and wellness.”

Since joining The Vitamin Shoppe in 2019, Gayton has taken on increasing responsibility across the merchant team, cultivating key brand relationships and consistently bringing distinctive products to customers. His work has helped establish The Vitamin Shoppe as a destination for first-to-market launches and exclusive products from top partners such as Barebells, Clean Simple Eats, David Protein, GHOST, Gorilla Mind, MaryRuth’s, RAW Nutrition, and Transparent Labs.

“The health, wellness, and sports performance categories are evolving in many new directions, creating significant opportunities for The Vitamin Shoppe,” said Gayton. “My mission is to anticipate what customers will want next and bring the most compelling new ideas to market. I’m excited to lead a talented group of buyers and product developers as we build differentiated assortments, strengthen our best-in-class private brands, and unlock new avenues for shared growth with our partners.”

As part of the new merchandising structure, David DiTota has been promoted to Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, reporting to Gayton. DiTota brings more than two decades of merchandising experience across national retail and technology companies to the role and will help lead The Vitamin Shoppe’s third-party assortments and amplify opportunities across high-growth wellness categories.

Commenting on Gonzalez’s retirement, Leite said: “Muriel has been an extraordinary leader and trusted partner, and I am deeply grateful for the lasting impact she has made on The Vitamin Shoppe. She brought clarity and vision during a defining moment in our evolution, helping to sharpen our product strategy, elevate our proprietary brand development, and deepen the industry relationships that are central to our future. Just as importantly, she has helped prepare the next generation of merchandising talent to carry that work forward.”

The new merchandising leadership structure will advance The Vitamin Shoppe’s business priorities by anticipating changing customer needs, moving quickly on emerging trends, and working closely with brand partners to bring differentiated products and experiences to market.

For more information about The Vitamin Shoppe, visit www.vitaminshoppe.com.             

About The Vitamin Shoppe®

The Vitamin Shoppe® is an omnichannel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle company with the mission to provide customers with the most trusted products, guidance, and services that support health and performance in every stage of life. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey, The Vitamin Shoppe today is an innovation-focused destination for first-to-market brands and breakthrough products, offering a comprehensive assortment of vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition, and on-the-go functional foods and beverages. Beyond hundreds of national brands, its offering includes the proprietary brands The Vitamin Shoppe®, Vthrive The Vitamin Shoppe®, BodyTech®, BodyTech® Elite, plnt®, ProBioCare®, and True Athlete®. The Company serves customers through more than 640 stores nationwide, providing personalized support from knowledgeable Health Enthusiast associates, and online at www.vitaminshoppe.com. It operates strategic partnerships in select international markets in Asia, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The Vitamin Shoppe proudly supports the health and wellness of communities through longstanding partnerships with Vitamin Angels and Team Red, White & Blue.

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SOURCE The Vitamin Shoppe