Earnings Report

General Nutrition Centers said Monday its first-quarter profits rose 34 percent on the strong performance of its owner-operated franchise stores.

Earnings for the period ending April 27 were $20.2 million, or 22 cents per share, compared with $15.1 million, or 19 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Sales increased 20 percent to $230.2 million from $192 million.

Sales in the company’s 894 domestic franchise stores were up 12.7 percent in the quarter, compared with an increase of 3.3 percent in GNC’s 1,524 company-owed domestic stores.