NORTH BERGEN, N.J., Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. (the “Company”), a leading multi-channel specialty retailer of nutritional products, today announced that on November 21, 2013 it filed suit against law firm Seeger Weiss LLP in New York federal court. Seeger Weiss has been using the Company’s name and trademark “Vitamin Shoppe” in its domain name and marketing materials, as well as the trademarked BODYTECH name in marketing and soliciting materials without the Company’s permission.
Vitamin Shoppe argues that Seeger Weiss is infringing on the Company’s trademarks on a website designed to solicit plaintiffs for a class-action lawsuit over alleged misrepresentations related to its BODYTECH protein supplements and is being harmed by unauthorized use of its trademarks. Seeger Weiss had been doing this by using a domain name containing the Vitamin Shoppe trademark to misdirect and mislead consumers to its web site. Additionally, the unauthorized website had used pictures taken from the Vitamin Shoppe’s website without permission.
Vitamin Shoppe is asking for a permanent injunction against further use of its trademarks, damages, and transfer of the registration of the www.vitaminshoppeprotein.com domain to the Company, as well as costs and attorney fees.
About the Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. (NYSE: VSI)
Vitamin Shoppe is a leading multi-channel specialty retailer of nutritional products based in North Bergen, New Jersey. In its stores and on its website, the company carries one of the most comprehensive retail assortments in the industry, including vitamins, minerals, specialty supplements, herbs, sports nutrition, homeopathic remedies, green living products, and beauty aids. In addition to offering 600 national brand products, the Vitamin Shoppe also exclusively carries products under The Vitamin Shoppe, BodyTech, True Athlete and MyTrition brands. The Vitamin Shoppe conducts business through more than 640 company-operated retail stores under The Vitamin Shoppe, Super Supplements and Vitapath retail banners, and through its website, www.VitaminShoppe.com and www.supersup.com. Follow The Vitamin Shoppe on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/THEVITAMINSHOPPE and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VitaminShoppe.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements.” Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current expectations or beliefs concerning future events and actual results of operations may differ materially from historical results or current expectations. Any such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, the risk that the operations of Super Supplements will not be integrated successfully, the strength of the economy, changes in the overall level of consumer spending, the performance of the Company’s products within the prevailing retail environment, trade restrictions, availability of suitable store locations at appropriate terms and other factors which are further described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2012 and in all filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made by the Company subsequent to the filing of the Form 10-K. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required to do so by law.
SOURCE Vitamin Shoppe, Inc.