Sharon Leite Returns to The Vitamin Shoppe as CEO

Sharon Leite, who resigned as CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe in 2023, is back in the chief executive role, the newly bought company announced Tuesday. Leite served as CEO of the vitamin and nutritional products specialty retailer from 2018-2023, resigning in January 2023 to head up Ideal Image. She then left to become CEO of Omni Retail Enterprises, whose brands include Bodybuilding.com, Pier1.com, and DressBarn.com.

In returning to New Jersey-based The Vitamin Shoppe, Leite will succeed Lee Wright, who replaced her when she left in 2023. Leite previously held leadership positions at Godiva Chocolatier, Sally Beauty, Pier 1 Imports, Bath & Body Works, and Gap Inc. She also serves on the boards of Lovesac, Texas Christian University, and Women in Retail Leadership Circle.

"After an incredibly rewarding and successful four-and-a-half years in the business, I'm thrilled to return to The Vitamin Shoppe," Leite said in a press release, adding the retailer and its leaders are "primed for an exciting new era of expansion."

Total Retail's Take: The Vitamin Shoppe has had a tumultuous year. Its previous owner, Franchise Group Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November following significant losses. The Vitamin Shoppe was then sold to private equity firms Kingswood Capital Management and Performance Investment Partners (PIP) for $195 million. The firms promised to "make significant investments in the company's third-party brand relationships, research and development" across the retailer's portfolio, as well as make upgrades to the store fleet and improvements to its omnichannel digital platform.

In announcing Leite's appointment to CEO Tuesday, the private equity firms disclosed they had completed the acquisition of The Vitamin Shoppe. Michael Niegsch and Mark Genender, partners for Kingswood and PIP, respectively, said they looked forward to "investing in a variety of brand-building strategies," including enhancing the company's digital marketing and e-commerce capabilities, innovating the private brand portfolio, and working with existing and emerging third-party brands looking for a distributor.