Weight Watchers
Wellness services
Weight Watchers was founded in Queens, New York by housewife and mother, Jean Nidetch in 1963. Heinz bought the company for $78 million in 1978, and sold it to private equity firm Artal Luxembourg in 1999 for $735 million. Oprah Winfrey became spokesperson and part-owner in 2015. Weight Watchers rebranded itself WW International in 2018, as its focus moves towards overall health and wellness.

Overall

Owned USA
Rating F
About the Ratings
WW International Inc
USA
Artal Group SA
owns 46% of WW International Inc
LUX
Investment firm
Owns 46% of Weight Watchers.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Jan 2023)
WW International Inc
Criticism
CEO Pay Ratio of 1,396:1
In 2022 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$8,657. The CEO was paid 1,396 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Fined $1.5m for underage data collection
In 2022 this company agreed to pay US$1.5 million to resolve claims from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it illegally gathered the data of underage users of its Kurbo program. The FTC claims the companies illegally collected the data of underage users without first notifying their parents or obtaining their consent.
Information
WW Good
WW Good is a non-profit organisation working to make health and wellness accessible to all, regardless of income level. Since establishment is 2018, WW Good has donated over US$2.3 million and 13.4 million serving of fresh produce.
OpenSecrets.org profile
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.

Company Details

Type:
Public company
Revenue:
1.5 billion USD (2018)
Employees:
18,000 (2017)

Contact Details

Address:
New York, New York, USA
Website:
corporate.ww.com

Products / Brands

Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers Weight Loss

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