NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (AP) — Strong online sales helped drive Vitamin Shoppe's net income and revenue higher in its fiscal second quarter.

The nutritional products retailer reported Tuesday that net income of $16.6 million, or 55 cents per share, up 38 percent compared with $12 million, or 40 cents per share, a year earlier.

The performance beat the 51 cents per share that analysts surveyed by FactSet expected.

Revenue for the period ended June 30 climbed 14 percent to $245 million from $215.9 million. This topped Wall Street's forecast of $242.5 million.

Online sales increased 20.3 percent, while revenue at stores open at least a year rose 8.3 percent. This metric is a key indicator of a retailer's health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

The North Bergen, N.J., company said Tuesday that it expects full-year revenue at stores open at least a year to increase by a mid-single digit percentage rate.

Long term, Vitamin Shoppe Inc. anticipates continuing to open new stores, rolling out new products, increasing online sales further and expanding overseas.

The company has more than 550 company-owned stores.