WeightWatchers' next act goes beyond points
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WeightWatchers is emerging from bankruptcy with a plan to "radically evolve," new CEO Tara Comonte tells Axios.
Why it matters: The company, long synonymous with its calorie-counting points system, is fighting to stay trusted — and profitable — in an era of telehealth startups, buzzy weight-loss meds and women's health innovation.
Catch up quick: GLP-1 drugs have completely upended the weight loss industry.
- About a year after Oprah Winfrey left the company's board and former CEO Sima Sistani apologized for the company's role in "toxic" diet culture, WeightWatchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
WeightWatchers is emerging now with new leadership and prescription offerings ranging from GLP-1s to hormones.
- Queen Latifah is the spokeswoman for its new menopause program.
- Julie Rice, a co-founder of SoulCycle, is now chief experience officer leading brand innovation.
What they're saying: "We're not leaving the past behind," Comonte says. New prescription and program offerings are being layered on top of "trusted," "best-in-class science."
- "We know that even with these incredible game-changing medications like GLP-1s or with hormone therapy, the medication alone is just a piece of the equation," says Kim Boyd, WeightWatchers' new chief medical officer. She cites the "magic of community that has been a differentiator for WeightWatchers since the beginning."
The intrigue: With the help of AI, WeightWatchers has an advantage over newer businesses — six decades of proprietary health data it could use to personalize programs.
The bottom line: WeightWatchers' is betting on the right mix of a 62-year-old name, new science and marketing that can get ahead of the surge of new and trendy women's health options.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that Julie Rice is a co-founder of SoulCycle (not the sole founder).
