More than a decade after acquiring vitafusion and L’il Critter gummy vitamin brands and touting gummy as a key growth driver in the VMS space, C&D’s seeing different market trends.

Executives at recent investor conference offer explanations of what’s happened to sales of the brands in addition to describing the strategies and decisions which have driven company-wide average 6.3% annual net sales growth over the past 10 years.

US OTC drug and supplement firms’ reports of results for the first three months of 2024 began on April 19 with P&G. JP Morgan analysts say while “some retailers in the US in particular” are reducing consumer health inventories, for the overall sector they expect “a healthier balance of positive volume and lower pricing contribution.”

Share price’s recent ride doesn’t track with analysts’ regard for C&D’s results and outlook.