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Weight Watchers International, Inc. history
Weight Watchers International, Inc. company history timeline
WEIGHT WATCHERS BECOMES A COMPANY In May 1963, Weight Watchers was incorporated and the first public meeting was held in a loft in Queens.
As word spread and attendee numbers grew, Nidetch finally launched Weight Watchers Inc. in May, 1963.
1963: Weight Watchers is founded.
In 1965 Lippert contracted various food companies in the United States to produce Weight Watchers food lines for supermarkets and grocery stores, including low-calorie frozen entrees and dry and dairy low-calorie foods.
In 1968 the company made its first stock offering to the public.
In April, 1969 Weight Watchers opened its doors in Australia, holding the first Meeting in Sydney, which would eventually grow to include more than 400 locations in every state and territory.
New Zealand soon joined the rest of the world with its own Weight Watchers success stories, launching the first Meeting in Auckland in 1972.
With the company's rapid growth, in 1973 Nidetch decided to resign from her position as president of Weight Watchers to devote herself entirely to public relations.
In 1973 Weight Watchers held its 15th anniversary celebration in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
And, in 1978, an Exercise Plan was added, making Weight Watchers one of the first organizations to stress the importance of walking as an aid to overall fitness.
In 1982 the Weight Watchers brand name food items switched from aluminum-tray to fiberboard packaging and introduced one of the world's first lines of microwaveable frozen food entrees.
In 1983 Berger became CEO of Weight Watchers International and, along with Andrew Barrett and Doctor Les Parducci, laid the foundation for a brand new weight loss diet.
Foodways National also introduced low-calorie dessert products, and by 1988 the company's desserts had a larger market share than Sara Lee and Lean Cuisine.
By 1988, each of the three separate business units of Weight Watchers was recording skyrocketing revenues.
cliff, jennifer, and dan moreau. "change agents, jean nidetch knew that weight watchers success hinged on more than a diet." changing times, august 1989.
Schroeder, Michael, "The Diet Business Is Getting a Lot Skinnier," Business Week , June 24, 1991.
In 1991 Burger King agreed to offer hot Weight Watchers entrees in its restaurants and sell frozen entrees as take out items.
In 1991 Brian Ruder, a vice-president in marketing at Heinz, was hired as the president of a newly reconstituted Weight Watchers Food Company.
Dienstag, Eleanor Foa, "The Weight Watchers Story," in Good Company: 125 Years at the Heinz Table , New York: Warner Books, 1994.
tascarella, patty. "heinz tips scales on low cal fare." pittsburgh business times, 26 december 1997.
In 1997 Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York signed on as the new face of Weight Watchers.
Competition generated by the Atkins and South Beach diets prompted Weight Watchers' first major change in its diet plan since 1997.
1997: '1,2,3 Success' program introduced.
In 1998, Weight Watchers introduced the first points system – ‘1,2,3 Success Points Plan’. While foods were assigned a points value, a core diet plan was still provided to members, with the points only used as a substitute for the diet exchanges from the earlier programs.
WeightWatchers.com, founded in September 1999, offered a free site with information on weight loss, healthy lifestyle, and meeting locations.
Weight Watchers Health Watch 2000 was later launched by Weight Watchers to help educate Americans that research shows that obesity is an independent risk factor for many major chronic diseases, including cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes.
The program was modified and the name changed to Winning Points in the year 2000.
The company had reacquired the license to publish the magazine from Time Inc. in 2000.
By December 2001, the company had established 8,900 international meeting locations in more than 15 countries.
In 2001 there were nearly 40,000 meetings held in more than 30 countries boasting attendance of more than 1 million members.
Revenues for 2001 were record setting.
leder, michelle. "investing: real belt tightening as part of portfolio." the new york times, 20 january 2002.
In 2002 the Internal Revenue Service ruled that weight loss programs are now tax-deductible.
The stock added 23 percent in value on its first trading day and continued to post a strong performance through early 2002.
Weight Watchers moved to lure more to their meetings with a redesigned magazine, introduced with the January/February 2003 issue and coinciding with the onslaught of post-holiday weight loss resolutions.
The Core Plan, introduced in August 2004, eliminated point counting and portion size restrictions.
In mid-2005, the company acquired a 53 percent stake in WeightWatchers.com from Artal Luxembourg.
To expand its line of branded food products, Weight Watchers entered into agreements with a number of food manufacturers in early 2005, including George Weston Bakeries, Organic Milling, Whitman's, and Well's Dairy.
In 2009, Weight Watchers became a tech leader in weight loss, upon launching the WW app and e-tools to provide members with 24/7 personalised support.
Personal Coaching and 24/7 Live Chat launched in 2014.
Also in 2015, Oprah Winfrey became a WW spokesperson and continues to inspire millions of members today!
The WW Logo, Wellness that Works, Points and PersonalPoints are trademarks of WW International, Inc. © 2022 WW International, Inc.
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Weight Watchers International, Inc. competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Business Solutions | 1996 | $4.2M | 22 | - |
| Burke | 1931 | $55.0M | 200 | 84 |
| The Welch Company | - | $980,000 | 50 | - |
| The Freeman Company LLC | - | $2.9B | 4,587 | 200 |
| Career Partners International | 1987 | $250.0M | 1,600 | - |
| IST Management | 1997 | $110.0M | 500 | 138 |
| Keenan | - | $480.6M | 500 | - |
| The Gordon Company Inc | - | $27.7M | 200 | 1 |
| AppleOne Employment Services | 1964 | $9.6M | 175 | 38 |
| Atlas Management, L.L.C. | 1994 | $210.0M | 1,185 | 6 |
Weight Watchers International, Inc. history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Weight Watchers International, Inc., including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Weight Watchers International, Inc.. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Weight Watchers International, Inc.. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Weight Watchers International, Inc.. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and its employees or that of Zippia.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. may also be known as or be related to WEIGHT WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC, WW International Inc., Weight Watchers International Inc and Weight Watchers International, Inc.