Weight Watchers International Franchise News

Expert Panel Discusses the Roles of Public and Private Sectors in Addressing Obesity to Ensure Military Readiness
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. and National Journal today convened a policy summit to examine the growing national security threat posed by a shrinking pool of Americans lean enough to serve in the military.
At a time when U.S. forces are stretched thin overseas, obesity is the leading medical disqualifier for military service. Some 27 percent of potential recruits between the ages of 17-24 would weigh too much to qualify to enlist in the armed forces.[i] This presents a security threat for the nation as it creates challenges for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, who together must attract more than 184,000 new recruits annually...

NEW YORK, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) will release its results for the first quarter 2012 after the NYSE closes on Wednesday, May 2, 2012.
The Company has also scheduled a conference call on May 2nd at 5:00 p.m. ET. During the conference call, David Kirchhoff, President and Chief Executive Officer, will discuss first quarter 2012 results and answer questions from the investment community.
Live audio of the conference call will be simultaneously webcast over the Internet on the Company's corporate website, www.weightwatchersinternational.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on this site for approximately 90 days.
About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc...

NEW YORK, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced the final results of its "modified Dutch auction" tender offer for up to $720.0 million in value of its common stock, which expired at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on Thursday, March 22, 2012. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the tender offer, the Company has accepted for purchase an aggregate of 8,780,485 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $82.00 per share, for an aggregate cost of approximately $720.0 million. These shares represent approximately 11.9% of the Company's outstanding shares of common stock as of February 13, 2012.
Based on the final count by the depositary for the tender offer, an aggregate of 9,038,999 shares of the Company's common stock were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn at or below a purchase price of $82...

NEW YORK, March 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced the preliminary results of its "modified Dutch auction" tender offer for up to $720.0 million in value of its common stock, which expired at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on Thursday, March 22, 2012. Based upon preliminary results, the Company expects to accept for payment an aggregate of 8,780,487 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $82.00 per share, for an aggregate cost of approximately $720.0 million. These shares represent approximately 11.9% of the Company's outstanding shares of common stock as of February 13, 2012.
The Company has been informed by the depositary for the tender offer that the preliminary proration factor for the tender offer is approximately 99...

NEW YORK, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that it has completed an amendment to its existing credit facilities to increase its borrowing capacity up to an additional $1.45 billion to finance the share purchases in its pending tender offer and the previously announced related share repurchase from Artal Sp. z o.o., Succursale de Luxembourg, the Company's majority shareholder. The Company also obtained an extension of the maturities of its revolving credit facility and a portion of its previously existing term loan facility in connection with the credit facilities amendment. The Company will be filing an amendment to its previously announced "modified Dutch auction" tender offer for up to $720...

NEW YORK, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that its Board of Directors declared its quarterly cash dividend of $0.175 per share of common stock, which corresponds to an annual dividend rate of $0.70 per share. This quarterly dividend will be payable on April 30, 2012 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 23, 2012.
The Company has typically issued a quarterly cash dividend to shareholders of record at the end of each fiscal quarter. The Board has selected the current record date to allow for the completion of its previously announced "modified Dutch auction" tender offer for up to $720,000,000 of its common stock and related share repurchase from Artal Sp...

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced its plan to launch a "modified Dutch auction" tender offer for up to $720,000,000 of its common stock at a price per share not less than $72.00 and not greater than $83.00. This price range represents a 4.3% premium to a 20.3% premium to the year-to-date volume-weighted average price of $69.00 per share for the Company's common stock. The tender offer is expected to commence next week and will remain open for at least 20 business days.
A "modified Dutch auction" tender offer allows shareholders to indicate how many shares and at what price within the Company's specified range they wish to tender. Based on the number of shares tendered and the prices specified by the tendering shareholders, the Company will determine the lowest price per share within the range that will enable the Company to purchase $720,000,000 of its common stock (or a lower amount if the offer is not fully subscribed)...

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that David Kirchhoff, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the UBS 22nd Annual Global Healthcare Services Conference in New York City.
The presentation will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time and will be accessible via live audio webcast on the Company's corporate website at www.weightwatchersinternational.com. An archive of the webcast will be available on this site for 30 days.
About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations...

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) will release its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2011 after the NYSE closes on Tuesday, February 14, 2012.
The Company has also scheduled a conference call on February 14th at 5:00 p.m. ET. During the conference call, David Kirchhoff, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Ann Sardini, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss fourth quarter and full year 2011 results and answer questions from the investment community.
Live audio of the conference call will be simultaneously webcast over the Internet on the Company's corporate website, www.weightwatchersinternational.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on this site for approximately 90 days...

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that David Kirchhoff, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the J.P. Morgan 30th Annual Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, California.
The presentation will be held on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time (11:30 a.m. Eastern Time) and will be accessible via live audio webcast on the Company's corporate website at www.weightwatchersinternational.com. An archive of the webcast will be available on this site for 30 days.
About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations...

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- From Dave Burwick, President, North America, Weight Watchers:
At Weight Watchers, we're proud that US News & World Report and the 22 independent experts who participated in the second annual Best Diets rankings have recognized us as the #1 program again for "Best Weight-Loss Diet" and "Best Commercial Diet Plan". We are also thrilled to have earned the top ranking in the new "Easiest Diet to Follow" category. Weight Watchers is a practical weight loss approach that allows you to live and eat in the real world. Our PointsPlus program was designed to make the healthy, satisfying choice the easy choice. People make thousands of food choices each day and we provide the tools and knowledge to make healthy eating and activity decisions that are right for them--- anywhere, anytime...

Weight Watchers Inspires People with New Ads Featuring Jennifer Hudson and Charles Barkley, and through a Continuing Partnership with Dr. Oz
NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A reason to believe in tough times – it's something millions of Americans yearn for right now. That flash of optimism that can ignite confidence, the will to persevere, a new idea, a fresh outlook and, just maybe, the inspiration to transform a whole life.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. has always been about just that, a deep faith in people's capacity to change and to take control of their health. Next year, we're taking that commitment to a new level by proclaiming 2012 "The Year to Believe" - a call to reach into ourselves with revitalized energy and confidence, taking both fresh pride in our individuality and drawing on the strength of a shared journey, including encouragement from successful people who've been there before...

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that Ann Sardini has informed the Company of her decision to retire from the Company effective June 29, 2012.
Ms. Sardini, who will retire on June 29, 2012 to pursue other endeavors, will be resigning from her current position as Chief Financial Officer of the Company on March 30, 2012. In order to ensure a smooth transition, she will remain with the Company in an advisory capacity thereafter until her June 29, 2012 retirement date. Between now and June 29, 2012, Ms. Sardini will continue working closely with David Kirchhoff, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, the Board of Directors of the Company, and the other members of the Company's senior management team to manage the business and the transition...

Continued Innovations Make It Even Easier To Make Smarter Choices On The Go
NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers today announced the availability of the Weight Watchers® Barcode Scanner, a new mobile app that scans barcodes and provides accurate PointsPlus® values for thousands of products which can be tracked directly from a scan—no additional data entry to a Weight Watchers tracker is needed. With the help of the new app, users will be able to make informed decisions through a branded foods database, taking the guess work out of making the right choices while food shopping. Available in the United States for iOS and Android platforms, the app will be available through iTunes and Android Market and requires a subscription to Weight Watchers Online or Weight Watchers eTools to use...

Charles Barkley Joins Weight Watchers to Run Point on new "Lose Like a Man" Campaign
NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. today introduced National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Famer and current "NBA on TNT" studio analyst Charles Barkley as the ambassador of its new Weight Watchers for Men campaign. The dominant and outspoken former power forward and current television personality will appear in print, broadcast, and online marketing beginning December 25, 2011, as part of the new "Lose Like a Man" advertising platform. Losing will be a new role for someone who has focused for so long on winning, but Barkley is confident he can make the change.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 72...

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced the appointment of Colin Watts as Senior Vice President, Wellness and Global Innovation, effective January 3, 2012. Watts will oversee the Company's North American B2B/Healthcare business operations in addition to its Global Innovation and Consumer Insights teams. Watts will report to David A. Burwick, President, North America.
Watts brings a broad range of experiences in general management, marketing and innovation from consumer and healthcare companies. Most recently, he served as Corporate Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Walgreen Co. where he was in charge of the recently created Corporate Innovation Division. Prior to this position at Walgreens, Watts had significant senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson as President of McNeil Nutritionals Worldwide and McNeil Consumer Healthcare Worldwide...

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that its Board of Directors declared its quarterly cash dividend of $0.175 per share of common stock, which corresponds to an annual dividend rate of $0.70 per share. This quarterly dividend will be payable on January 13, 2012 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 30, 2011.
About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds over 45,000 meetings each week where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity...

NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers, ranked the #1 commercial weight management service provider by US News and World Report, today introduced PointsPlus 2012, an enhanced version of the revolutionary program that broke ground last year. In 2010, the launch of the PointsPlus program changed how millions of Americans eat and make healthy food choices. And, to make the plan even better in 2012, Weight Watchers incorporated suggestions from the people who know the program best - its vast community of millions of members and more than 19,000 staff members nationwide. The company - which has always been grounded in the authentic connections with its members - took a "high touch meets high tech" approach by adding both in-meeting and digital enhancements that make it easier to get started and stay on track...

NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that the Company has chosen to allow its shareholder rights plan (the "Rights Plan") to expire in accordance with its terms on November 19, 2011, which corresponds to the tenth anniversary of the Company's initial public offering. Shareholders are not required to take any action as a result of this expiration.
In connection with the expiration of the Rights Plan, the Company will be taking routine steps to voluntarily de-register the related preferred stock purchase rights under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and to delist the preferred stock purchase rights from the New York Stock Exchange. These actions are administrative in nature and will have no effect on the Company's common stock, which continues to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and registered under the Exchange Act...

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that David Kirchhoff, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Ann Sardini, Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Credit Suisse Annual Health Care Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
The presentation will be held on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time (10:30 a.m. Eastern Time) and will be accessible via live audio webcast on the Company's corporate website at www.weightwatchersinternational.com. An archive of the webcast will be available on this site for 30 days.
About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations...