WW International facts for kids
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Formerly
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Weight Watchers (1963–2018) |
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Founded | May 15, 1963 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Headquarters | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor New York, NY 10010 |
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Key people
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Sima Sistani, President & CEO |
| Products | Weight loss, Packaged foods, Exercise products |
| Revenue |  $1.5 billion (2018) |
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Operating income
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$267.305 million (2017) |
| $163.514 million (2017) |
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| Total assets |  1.246 billion (2017) |
| Total equity | -1.015 billion (2017) |
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Number of employees
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18,000 (as of 2017[update]) |
WW International, Inc., also known as Weight Watchers, is a company from the U.S. that helps people with their weight, fitness, and overall well-being. It was started in 1963 by Jean Nidetch, a homemaker from Queens, New York City. Today, WW offers its program in different ways: through a mobile app and website, with online or phone coaching, or at in-person meetings.
In 2018, the company changed its name from "Weight Watchers" to "WW." This was done to show that they now focus on general health and wellness, not just losing weight.
Contents
How WW Started
The Idea Behind Weight Watchers
The idea for Weight Watchers came from Jean Nidetch. She was a housewife and mom in Queens, New York City, who had struggled with her weight for most of her life. She tried many different ways to lose weight, but nothing worked for long.
In 1961, when she was 38, Jean weighed 214 pounds. Someone even thought she was pregnant! She decided to try a free 10-week weight-loss program. This program was called the "Prudent Diet." It was developed by Dr. Norman Jolliffe in the 1950s. The diet suggested eating fish five times a week, two pieces of bread, and two glasses of skim milk daily. It also encouraged eating more fruits and vegetables. It said no to alcohol, sweets, and fatty foods.
Jean lost 20 pounds on this program. But she didn't like how the weekly meetings were run. People weren't allowed to talk much. Jean also found it hard not to eat her favorite cookies. So, she started her own weekly support group in her apartment. She invited six friends who also wanted to lose weight. Soon, 40 women were coming to her meetings every week!
Jean shared the "Prudent Diet" plan with her group. But more importantly, the group offered a safe space. Everyone shared their stories and ideas, and they supported each other. Jean also added a weekly weigh-in and gave out prizes for reaching weight-loss goals. By October 1962, Jean reached her goal weight of 142 pounds and kept the weight off.
Becoming a Business
More and more people wanted to join Jean's groups. She started coaching groups in other neighborhoods. One group met at the home of Al and Felice Lippert. After they successfully lost weight, Al Lippert, who was a businessman, convinced Jean to turn her idea into a company.
Jean Nidetch and the Lipperts officially started Weight Watchers Inc. in Queens in 1963. Jean was the president and the main speaker. They rented places for meetings and charged people $2 per week. The first official meeting in May 1963 had 400 people! Jean led groups and taught others how to lead them too.
Al Lippert was in charge of the business side. In 1964, he started offering franchises. This meant people who had successfully lost weight with Weight Watchers could open their own Weight Watchers groups. They paid a small fee and then 10% of their earnings to the main company. By 1967, Weight Watchers was international. It had 102 franchises in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, and Israel.
Felice Lippert worked on recipes and food research. The first Weight Watchers cookbook came out in 1966 and sold over 1.5 million copies. By 1968, the company had over one million members worldwide. They also launched Weight Watchers Magazine, selling 300,000 copies of the first issue.
Going Public and Selling to Heinz
In 1968, Weight Watchers became a public company. This meant people could buy shares of the company's stock. This helped the company grow even more. Al Lippert also started selling Weight Watchers prepared foods, and even opened camps for kids who wanted to lose weight.
Jean Nidetch was the public face of the company. She was slim, well-dressed, and a great speaker. In 1970, she wrote a book about her journey and the Weight Watchers plan. In 1973, she stepped down as president to focus on public relations. She traveled, gave interviews, and spoke to large groups about the program's success.
In the mid-1970s, the company started focusing more on "eating management" instead of just dieting. They created different plans to fit what members needed.
In 1978, the company was sold to the H. J. Heinz Company for $72 million. Al Lippert stayed on as chairman and CEO for a few years, and Jean Nidetch remained a consultant.
New Owners and Second Public Offering
By 1990, Weight Watchers faced more competition from other weight-loss companies. Heinz, the parent company, launched new Weight Watchers "Smart Ones" frozen meals. In 1997, Weight Watchers introduced the POINTS system. This was a new way to track food portions based on how much carbohydrates, fat, and fiber they had.
In 1999, Heinz sold Weight Watchers to a company called Artal Luxembourg for $735 million. Raymond Debbane became the chairman of Weight Watchers. In 2001, Debbane made Weight Watchers a public company again, meaning its shares could be bought and sold on the stock market.
In 2001, the company launched its website, WeightWatchers.com. In 2007, they launched Weight Watchers Online for Men.
In late 2010, Weight Watchers changed its POINTS system to PointsPlus (called ProPoints outside the U.S.). With this new system, fruits and non-starchy vegetables had zero points. Processed foods had higher points than before.
From 2012 to 2015, Weight Watchers faced tough competition. Many free smartphone fitness apps became popular. These apps often included social media support groups. Wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit also became common.
Changes from 2014 to 2018
In 2014, Weight Watchers started buying smaller tech companies. They bought Wello, a virtual fitness training startup. In 2015, they bought Hot 5, a 5-minute fitness app, and Weilos, an online community. Parts of Weilos later became Weight Watchers' Connect product, which is an online community within their app and website.
In October 2015, Oprah Winfrey joined Weight Watchers. She bought a 10% share in the company and became its spokesperson. She also joined the board of directors and lost weight using the program. She helped launch a new program called "Beyond the Scale."
Even with Oprah's help, the company faced challenges in 2016. This was partly due to competition from other companies and many free apps. The CEO, James Chambers, resigned in September 2016. Mindy Grossman became the new CEO in July 2017. She had experience growing digital sales.
In December 2017, the company introduced WW Freestyle (called WW Flex outside the U.S.). This program allowed people to save unused "SmartPoints" for later in the week. It also listed over 200 foods, like lean proteins, that had zero points and didn't need to be tracked.
In February 2018, CEO Grossman announced a new goal for the company. They wanted to be a "partner in health and wellness," not just a dieting company. They aimed to inspire healthy habits for everyday life. By mid-2018, more people were signing up for Weight Watchers. This was thanks to Oprah's influence and Grossman's efforts to update the program, improve their technology, and appeal to more people.
In September 2018, the company officially changed its name to WW International, Inc.. This showed their new focus on overall health and wellness, including fitness. Their new slogan was "Wellness that Works." The company stopped requiring users to have a weight loss goal to join. They also renamed their in-person meetings to Wellness Workshops.
As part of the rebrand, WW launched WellnessWins. This program rewarded members for healthy habits. These rewards could be used for products, services, and experiences. The company also announced Connect, a digital community with smaller "Groups."
In August 2018, WW bought Kurbo, Inc. They rebranded its free mobile app for children and teenagers as Kurbo by WW.
The WW app was updated to help people track their health goals. Its FitPoints system helps people choose activities that are best for their health. The app also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. WW has also partnered with the meditation app Headspace to offer special mindfulness content to its members.
How WW Works
WW's main way of making money is through subscriptions to its program. They also sell various products, media, and services. The company sees itself as a community. Its website and app are very important to how it works.
In recent years, WW has focused more on being a health and wellness brand, not just a weight-loss brand. Their food plans encourage eating fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and foods high in whole grains. They also try to balance their online and in-person offerings. As of 2019, the program offers support through the app and website, in-person workshops, and personal coaching.
Products and Services
WW's main income comes from people subscribing to their program.
The company offers a weight-management program (myWW+) and a food plan (SmartPoints). Customers can join through in-person group meetings or online. They get personalized information, support, and coaching.
WW also earns money from its branded products and services. These include Weight Watchers magazines, cookbooks, and food guides. They sell their own snack bars and other snacks. They also let other companies use the Weight Watchers name for prepared foods, drinks, and other products.
Weight-Loss Plans and Formats
The first Weight Watchers diet plan in the 1960s was based on the "Prudent Diet." It focused on lean meat, fish, skim milk, fruits, and vegetables. It did not allow alcohol, sweets, or fatty foods. It had lists of foods you could eat and foods to avoid. It suggested weighing food portions and not skipping meals.
The company has often changed and updated its diet plans. This is to keep up with new science about nutrition and to meet what people want.
- In 1979, Weight Watchers added PepStep, an exercise program. This helped members lose weight by walking or climbing stairs. This made Weight Watchers one of the first weight-loss companies to promote regular exercise.
- By 1980, the company made its diet plan more flexible. It offered three options: a "full choice" plan with many options, a "limited choice" plan with fewer options, and a "no choice" plan with no substitutions.
- In 1984, they added Quick Start. This was a stricter plan to help people lose weight faster at the beginning. It was the company's first "exchange-based" diet. This meant you could swap certain foods for others within categories.
- Also in 1984, Weight Watchers launched its At Work program. Meetings were held for groups of 15 or more people at their workplaces. This helped people who couldn't attend regular community meetings.
- In 1988, Weight Watchers launched the Quick Success program. This plan was easier and more flexible, especially for working women. It also allowed for a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet.
- In 1997, Weight Watchers completely replaced its old diets with the POINTS system. This was a special formula that gave a number to food portions based on their carbohydrates, fat, and fiber.
- In 2000, the company introduced Winning Points. This was a more personalized version of the POINTS system. It included self-tracking, changing habits, and fitness activities. It didn't exclude any foods.
- In 2004, Weight Watchers launched the Turn Around program. It gave people two plans. The Flex Plan let dieters eat anything they wanted as long as they stayed within their points. The Core Plan (later "Simply Filling") didn't use points at all. It had a list of foods that could be eaten "until satisfied."
- In late 2010, Weight Watchers updated its POINTS system to PointsPlus (ProPoints outside the U.S.). Fruits and non-starchy vegetables became zero points. Processed foods had higher points.
- In December 2012, the company launched Weight Watchers 360. This added support, mindfulness, and new apps. It also offered an optional fitness tracker called ActiveLink.
- In September 2014, Weight Watchers apps started working with wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit. This meant members' activity was automatically tracked and converted to points.
- In December 2014, Weight Watchers launched Personal Coaching and 24/7 Expert Chat. Personal Coaching gave members a certified coach for personalized plans. Expert Chat offered instant advice from coaches anytime.
- In December 2015, the company launched "Beyond the Scale." This program used SmartPoints, an updated points system that looked at a food's nutritional value. It helped people choose healthier foods. That same month, they launched Connect, a social media platform within their app for members to support each other.
- In December 2017, Weight Watchers introduced WW Freestyle (WW Flex outside the U.S.). This allowed people to save unused points for later in the week. It also listed over 200 zero-point foods, like lean proteins.
- In November 2021, WW introduced a new program called PersonalPoints. This program uses AI to adjust your points and zero-point food list based on your personal choices. You can also earn extra points for drinking enough water and eating non-starchy vegetables.
Leaders and Spokespersons
Company Leaders
Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers, was the company's President from 1963 to 1973.
Al Lippert was the CEO of Weight Watchers from 1963 to 1981. After Heinz bought Weight Watchers in 1978, Charles M. Berger became CEO from 1982 to 1994. Since 1999, the CEOs have included Linda Huett (2000–2006), David Kirchhoff (2007–2013), Jim Chambers (2013–2016), and Mindy Grossman (2017–present).
Mindy Grossman is also the President and on the board of directors. Since 1999, Raymond Debbane has been the chairman of the company.
In 2015, Oprah Winfrey bought a 10 percent share in WW International. She was also a member of the board of directors. In February 2024, she announced she was leaving WW and would give her shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Spokespersons
Jean Nidetch was the main public face and spokesperson for Weight Watchers from 1963 to 1983. Other famous people who have been spokespersons include:
- Lynn Redgrave (1983–1992)
- Kathleen Sullivan (1994–1995)
- Sarah, Duchess of York (1997–2007)
- Greg Grunberg (2007)
- Tamela Mann (2008–present)
- Jenny McCarthy (2009)
- Jennifer Hudson (2010–2014)
- Charles Barkley (2011–2014)
- Jessica Simpson (2012–2014)
- Ana Gasteyer (2013)
- Oprah Winfrey (2015–2024)
- DJ Khaled (2018–present)
- Kate Hudson (2018–present)
- Kevin Smith (2018–present)
- James Corden (2021–2023)
See also
- List of diets
