WeightWatchers was slower to adapt to the emergence of anti-obesity jabs than rivals, its boss has admitted, as the 62-year-old brand strives to catch up with rapidly evolving attitudes towards weight loss.
Tara Comonte, chief executive of the US-based business, said it had a lot of work to do after going through a “reset”.
WeightWatchers recently announced it had emerged from bankruptcy after writing off a portion of the 1.15 billion US dollar (£860 million) debt on its balance sheet.
It came as the business was competing with the emergence of GLP-1s – the scientific term for weight loss jabs, which work by reducing food cravings – and a new wave of apps and advice spreading on social media.
Ms Comonte told the PA news agency that it “wasn’t as quick to medical weight loss solutions” as some other firms in the US, notably so-called “telehealth” businesses that offer healthcare remotely.
WeightWatchers, which runs some 20,000 workshops each month globally, is now “at the beginning of the journey” towards forging a new place in the industry and meeting demand from current and future members, Ms Comonte said.
“This whole industry is going through somewhat of a reset and we have exciting work to do,” she told the PA news agency.
“This is a moment where, possibly more than ever before, people are talking about weight, and weight health… where people are seeking more education than ever before, and there are more voices than ever before.”
Ms Comonte said the brand was known for “trust and science” and it was important to harness that “as there are more and more voices in the ecosystem”.
WeightWatchers recently partnered with anti-obesity drugs provider CheqUp in the UK so patients taking the medication can access its “companion” diet and lifestyle support app.
It forms part of its efforts to muscle into the market by offering behavioural strategies and community-based support to people using or coming off the medication.
“There’s no ‘us and them’ anymore,” Ms Comonte told PA, hitting back at weight loss jabs often being pitted as rivals to its model.
Dr Kim Boyde, WeightWatchers’ newly appointed chief medical officer, said not all its members will want or need weight loss medication – but stressed that it was “imperative” the programme offers it to those that might benefit.
Recent estimates suggest that about 1.5 million people in the UK are taking weight loss jabs.
Health officials have suggested that they can help to turn the tide on obesity, but have stressed they are not a silver bullet and do come with side effects.
