Hello bbasch-ga:
So that you don't become bewildered -- as I did! -- please note that
you may see several variations of this company's name "Met-RX USA":
"MET-Rx Engineered Nutrition" and "MET-RX SUBSTRATE TECHNOLOGY, INC."
According to this 1999 suit filed by the FTC:
"UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA FEDERAL
TRADE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. MET-RX USA, INC., a Nevada
corporation, and MET-RX SUBSTRATE TECHNOLOGY, INC., a Nevada
corporation, Defendants.is incorporated in Nevada.":
http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/11/met-rxcmp.htm
" 5. Defendant Met-Rx USA, Inc. ("Met-Rx") is a Nevada corporation
with its principal place of business at 2112 Business Center Dr.,
Irvine, CA 92612. . . .
" 6. Defendant Met-Rx Substrate Technology, Inc. ("Substrate
Technology") is a Nevada corporation with its principal place of
business also at 2112 Business Center Drive, Irvine, California 92612.
Substrate Technology is affiliated with Met-Rx through common
officers, principals, management, and/or ownership. Substrate
Technology transacts or has transacted business in the Central
District of California."
If you want to read the particulars of this case, scroll down to the
header "DEFENDANTS' VIOLATIONS OF THE FTC ACT."
It seems that since 1999, the company has moved its principal place of
business from California to Boca Raton, FL, according to reports I
found at Goliath and Hoovers.
According to this notice from the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/Apr03/043003/97s-0162-let10149-vol76.pdf
MET-Rx Engineered Nutrition is indeed Met-RX USA Inc. So, all three names
appear to be under the umbrella of the same corporation.
HOWEVER, MET-RX was acquired by Rexall Sundown in 2000:
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?DOCID=1G1:58501830&num=9&ctrlInfo=Round18%3AMode18c%3ASR%3AResult&ao=&FreePremium=BOTH
Rexall later sold its MET-RX line to NBTY.
MET-Rx's homepage, "Met-RX Shop" lists the company as "MET-Rx
Engineered Nutrition":
http://www.metrx.com/Default.aspx?WebID=4fc564e2-da95-4cd2-8de5-138a3e8803e3
And has a New York address under its "Contact Us" page:
http://www.metrx.com/Contactus.aspx?WebID=4fc564e2-da95-4cd2-8de5-138a3e8803e3
That NY address is associated with NBTY.
I'm explaining all this in detail because if you repeat my search
strings in order to find more information -- and I encourage you to do
so -- you may well become confused what with all these variations in
names and addresses. (I got confused. :)
FEE-BASED REPORTS
Unfortunately, the best matches, such as:
http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/224403.html
are all in the four-figure range.
I did find some reasonably priced reports, but they may not answer all
of your questions.
From Hoovers' Online:
"MET-RX SUBSTRATE TECHNOLOGY INC":
http://smallbusiness.dnb.com/company-information-product-list.asp?referrer=hoovers.com&partner=hoovers&cm_mmc=eLicensing*Hoovers*SIMPLESEARCHRESULTS*Free+Member&key=788624088
The most expensive report is the "Comprehensive Insight Plus Report,"
which is priced at $139.
Be sure to click on the hyperlinked "Learn More" links to get a solid
idea of what each report contains. Then click on "See Example" and be
sure to check the menu tabs on that page. You'll see that you can
learn about the company's officers, the company's "History &
Operations" -- including lawsuits and liens -- and their credit
worthiness.
See an abstract for this report from Goliath: "Met Rx Substrate
Technology Inc. . . . Company Profile Updated: 03-OCT-05":
http://goliath.ecnext.com/comsite5/bin/pdlanding.pl?pdlanding=1&referid=1868&accession_number=0001184137&ovchn=INK&ovcpn=usa&ovcrn=goliath-compint-usa-2&ovtac=PIB
This report, priced $29.95, contains: "Competitive analysis, Vendor &
suppler evaluation, Strategic planning, Company Financials, and
Business Associations," among other topics.
Click "View a sample profile" to see what kinds of information you'll
get. It appears you will be able to get a comparison of Met-Rx and its
competitors.
At FirstResearch:
http://www.firstresearch.com/
I got this abstract after running the query "energy drinks":
http://www.firstresearch.com/search.asp?kw=energy+drinks+
"Energy Drink Category Continues Surge - The market for energy drinks
continues to grow at a healthy pace, but some analysts believe the
beverage segment . . ."
You can learn more about the report, "Beverage Manufacture and
Bottling Industry Profile" at:
http://www.firstresearch.com/industry-research/Beverage-Manufacture-and-Bottling.html
Scroll to the bottom of that page and click on "Purchase this Industry
Profile ($99 each)."
FREE INFORMATION:
You can listen to NBTY's July 29, 2005 third quarter conference call,
which is archived at Yahoo Finance. Go to:
http://biz.yahoo.com/cc/
Type NTY (the company's ticker symbol") into the box at top left. Then
click "Get Calls."
Hopefully, this call contains a Q&A session with industry analysts. (I
didn't listen to the call; just made sure the audio worked.) The Q&A
session is when executives are most likely to get chatty and, if
you're lucky, even disclose a little more than they intended to! (On
the other hand, I've covered calls where executives managed to answer
every single question with a "Yes," "No," or "Maybe.")
You can find some good reports and articles for free by signing up for
a *one-week free trial membership* at HighBeam:
http://www.highbeam.com/
Luckily, their archives include transcripts of NBTY's conference
calls. It's much easier to read transcripts or executive summaries of
these calls, then to sit there and listen to the audio. I've worked
for a company that prepares such summaries; those services are
subscription-based and the fees are very hefty. So, this is a very
lucky break!
At HighBeam's homepage:
http://www.highbeam.com/
Type "NBTY conference call" into the search box and you'll bring up 68
results! You'll likely want to concentrate on transcripts for 2004 and
2005. *Generally speaking,* executives offer the most in-depth details
during either the Q4 or the Q1 call; sometimes both. Some companies
also get chatty during mid-year conference call for a mid-year review.
As you scan NBTY's transcripts, you should see a pattern for which
calls tend to be the most expansive.
I'm not sure if these are summaries or transcripts, but the Q&A
portions of the call are always written up as verbatim, or very nearly
verbatim transcripts. Again, the Q&A session is often the most
valuable part of a call, especially if the executives don't include
something like an "Outlook" section in their formal presentation.
Other Results at HighBeam:
"Nutraceutical beverage showcase: energy, sports & wellness drinks; A
look at the latest new product introductions in these segments of the
nutraceutical beverage market," by Tim Wright, Nutraceuticals World,
October 1, 2004:
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?DOCID=1G1:124489807&num=7&ctrlInfo=Round18%3AMode18c%3ASR%3AResult&ao=&FreePremium=BOTH
I ran the query "powdered drink market AND MET-Rx" at HighBeam, and
the most recent, relevant report I found was from 2002: "Pills,
Powders, Bars and Drinks ...Oh My!," by Lynnette Shelley, "Club
Industry; April 1, 2002; 2,161 Words":
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?DOCID=1G1:87462571&num=9&ctrlInfo=Round18%3AMode18c%3ASR%3AResult&ao=&FreePremium=BOTH
At HighBeam's homepage:
http://www.highbeam.com/
Try running different search terms to bring up more information. For instance, try:
Type MET-Rx into the search box, check "Documents" and click "Search."
Also try queries "NBTY AND MET-Rx," "energy drinks AND market size,"
and "protein shakes AND market size."
Here's the NBTY's homepage:
http://www.nbty.com/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=nty&script=1800
Check their Press Release Section:
http://www.nbty.com/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=nty&script=400&layout=8
You can find their 2004 Annual Report Here:
http://www.nbty.com/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=nty&script=700&layout=8
Click on "2004 Annual Report" to bring up:
http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/NYS/NTY/reports/AR04NTY.pdf
You'll have to use the zoom and find features. Unfortunately, NBTY
doesn't provide a breakdown for MET-Rx products, let alone the
powdered drink mix. Instead, there's just a lump sum reporting of
Rexall brand figures: "Rexall's portfolio of nutritional supplement
brands includes Rexall®, Sundown®, Osteo Bi-Flex®, Carb Solutions®,
MET-Rx® and WORLDWIDE Sport Nutrition®. Rexall brands contributed
$293,542 and $72,815 in net sales to NBTY's Wholesale segment for the
fiscal years ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively."
You can read parts of Hoovers' report on NBTY for free at:
http://www.hoovers.com/nbty/--ID__14220,ticker__--/free-co-fin-factsheet.xhtml
In the menu at left you'll see "Products/Operations," but those
details are only available to Hoovers' subscribers.
At Zacks report on NBTY:
http://www.zacks.com/research/report.php?t=NTY&type=main&pd=1&x=10&y=5
You can glean some information:
"IndustryFOOD-MISC/DIVERSIFIED Rank within Industry 17 of 96 Rank of
Industry 165." You can also see an earnings estimate chart.
More Information:
"NBTY and Wild Oats shares have been hammered this summer, but
insiders are buying at both companies. Here's why their recent ills
may be good buying opportunities," by Michael Brush, MSN Money, August
8, 2005:
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/P87326.asp
Here's Forbes's page on NBTY:
http://www.forbes.com/finance/mktguideapps/compinfo/CompanyTearsheet.jhtml?tkr=NTY
You can also search for news and information on NBTY at USA TODAY:
http://www.usatoday.com/
Scroll down to the "Quick Quote" box and type in NTY, which is NBTY's
ticker symbol.
Search Strings:
Met-Rx meal replacement drink + sold per year
Met-Rx meal replacement drink + market share
Met-Rx USA + market share
meal replacement drink mix AND "market size" AND Met-Rx
protein shake AND "market size"
MET-Rx AND NTBY AND market share
MET-Rx AND "protein drinks" AND market size OR share
NBTY AND MET-Rx AND sales OR "market share"
market share AND meal replacement drink mix
powdered drink market AND MET-Rx
powdered energy drink +market size
NBTY webcast
NBTY earnings conference call
I hope my research is of help to you. If you have any trouble
navigating any of the above links, please post a "Request For
Clarification," and I will assist you. (With some of these long URLs
the hyperlink may break, so you may find it's better to copy & paste
them into your browswer.)
Best regards,
nancylynn-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
