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Weight Watchers North America, Inc history
Weight Watchers North America, 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.
1963: Weight Watchers is founded.
Motivated by the success of the group, and with her slimmed down body as her most persuasive advertising, Nidetch secured a business partner in 1963.
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.
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 tenth 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.
Heinz management, however, soon realized that it was the Weight Watchers International brand name that was valuable, not its licensee. As a result, Heinz acquired Weight Watchers and Foodways National in 1978 for approximately $100 million.
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 Brian Ruder, a vice-president in marketing at Heinz, was hired as the president of a newly reconstituted Weight Watchers Food Company.
In 1991 Burger King agreed to offer hot Weight Watchers entrees in its restaurants and sell frozen entrees as take out items.
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.
1997: '1,2,3 Success' program introduced.
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.
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.
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