Weight Watchers International’s latest effort to refresh the company has failed to impress investors. A few days ago, the company launched a redesigned magazine with the January/February issue. The company hopes the makeover will appeal to today’s readers.
The magazine’s editor-in-chief Theresa DiMasi explained the publication’s mission to help readers change their relationship with food. The mission includes putting food back into it’s rightful place. DeMasi added the way we aspire to eat is not always the way actually eat. The goal of the magazine is to help readers reach their healthy eating goals while spending less time in the kitchen.
The magazine also hopes to inspire readers with healthier lifestyles and good food as well as provide readers with important skills and strategies for weight loss. This new format will include regular sections for news bites, healthy restaurant menus, fitness/workout sections, reader success stories, and more.
Shares for Weight Watchers slid as much as 15% to $21.21, this followed a four-day tumble. The drop adds more concern that Weight Watchers may not be able to get itself out of the current slump. The company has fallen by 25% in each of the past two years. Weight Watchers has been around for 51 years helping people meets weight loss goals, but the last few years brought an influx of weight loss apps and programs. There is a lot of competition. Bloomberg’s analyst estimates the company’s revenues will drop an additional 4.2% in 2015.
MKM Holdings LLC deriatives strategist Jim Struger explained, “Someone had been making some prescient purchases of January puts earlier this week. The sharp move in the shares over the last week is a bit of a mystery.”
Weight Watchers’ struggle in the weight loss market comes off as no surprise, but time will tell if it can pull off this makeover and bring up the shares.
