Weight Watchers (WTW – Free Report) announced last week that the company changed its name to WW, in the latest move to distance itself from a diet firm. Beyond the simple rebrand, Weight Watchers has already expanded its offerings to become a more complete wellness company and looks poised to continue to grow, while expanding its earnings.
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Along with its new WW name, the firm will adopt a new marketing tagline, “Wellness that Works.” The New York-based company, which boasts Oprah Winfrey as a major shareholder and one of its biggest ambassadors, has slowly moved beyond a weight loss firm into the broader health and wellness industry.
“We are becoming the world’s partner in wellness,” CEO Mindy Grossman said in a statement. “No matter what your goal is – to lose weight, eat healthier, move more, develop a positive mind-set, or all of the above – we will deliver science-based solutions that fit into people’s lives.”
Weight Watchers’ CEO told analysts in February that the “world doesn’t need another diet.” Not to long after that, the company unveiled its new WW Healthy Kitchen line of kitchen tools and products, which are set to hit retail stores by the end of 2018. Meanwhile, the firm announced new WW branded meal-prep kits that are expected to launch at some point this year to compete against Blue Apron (APRN – Free Report) , Albertson’s Plated, Kroger’s (KR – Free Report) Home Chef, and others.
Looking ahead, the firm is ready to infuse voice assistant technology from Google (GOOGL – Free Report) and Amazon (AMZN – Free Report) into its app. The Weight Watchers app, which will become the WW app, allows users to track their fitness goals, find workouts geared toward them, search for WW recipes, and more. The firm also plans to roll out WellnessWins, a new program that will reward members for “small, everyday behaviors that are proven to lead to healthier habits.”
