Vitacost.com net sales climb 31% for Q1 2012

American online retailer of health and wellness products Vitacost.com said that its net sales for the 2012 first quarter ended 31 March 2012 surged 31% to $83.6m, up from $63.8m in the same period of 2011.

The gross profit increased to $19.1m for the quarter, indicating an increase of 25% year-over year, while the non-GAAP adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the 2012 quarter saw a loss of $4m compared to break-even results in the first quarter of 2011.

Vitacost.com reported a 55% rise in the number of shipped orders, while new customers grew more than 150% on a year-over-year basis to 415,714.

Excluding results from Amazon.com, the firm said that it’s shipped orders numbers increased 30% year-over-year, with new customers up more than 50%, driven by the firm’s Refer-A-Friend program, which was launched during the Q4 of 2011.

Vitacost.com Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Horowitz said that new customer additions and order growth from the website helped boost results.

"We are committed to investing in new customer acquisition and scaling and improving our infrastructure this year to better position the Company for long-term profitable growth," added Horowitz.

Vitacost.com offerings include dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids and metabolites, as well as cosmetics, organic body and personal care products, pet products, sports nutrition and health foods.