WeightWatchers NZ closing in-person workshops amid rumoured staff cuts

WW, formerly WeightWatchers, will no longer offer in-person workshops in Australia and New Zealand, upsetting some members who say in-person meetings serve as motivation.

A note on the company’s Australia and New Zealand websites confirms, “All in-person workshops in New Zealand will close as of November 2″ and encourages members to sign up for virtual workshops.

Kiwi and Australian customers are believed to have been informed this month that the face-to-face sessions were coming to an end, reported the Daily Mail Australia, which published an email reportedly sent to WW members.

“After careful and significant consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our WeightWatchers in-person workshop experience in Australia and New Zealand on 2/11/2024,” it read.

“We recognise this news may be disappointing and apologise for any negative impact this may have on you.”

At the time, WW confirmed it would be making cuts to its more than 150-strong staff based in Australia.

A spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald last month, “While we will be discontinuing WeightWatchers in-person studio workshops as well as virtual personal coaching in Australia and New Zealand, effective November 2, we are continuing to offer virtual workshops and full digital access through the WeightWatchers app, offering local members the option to move to a digital-only subscription.

“Unfortunately, with these changes, there are employees who will be impacted.”

The Herald has approached WW NZ to ask whether New Zealand-based staff are also facing cuts.

The decision to scale back its services has been met with criticism from customers.

A Perth-based woman set up an online petition on October 1 to urge the company to rethink the changes. Rhiannon McConnon wrote, “I have found solace in the weekly meetings that serve as my primary motivation and source of encouragement.

“I am not a morning person, but I make it a point to wake up and attend these sessions for the lively interaction and impactful communal banter,” she added, concerned the changes would “derail” her progress and remove the community aspect of the programme.

One Reddit user wrote on the platform that the move away from face-to-face workshops was “crazy”, while another Kiwi user wrote, “I miss meetings and find Connect [WW’s online community] variable, very repetitive.

“It is the members doing the work of coaches explaining and answering questions for new people and others with programme queries, which is less than ideal as often information provided is incorrect. The programme works but the delivery in recent times is not great.”

According to the company’s website, the in-person workshops offered “weekly techniques for weight loss in a welcoming, judgment-free zone” as well as private weigh-ins with a coach.

WeightWatchers was founded in 1963. In 2018, the name was changed from WeightWatchers to WW and a new slogan was revealed: “Wellness that works”.

Later that year, WW moved to ditch the “before and after” photos the brand had previously been known for as part of a “strategic” vision to focus on long-term “wellness” rather than weight loss.

In February this year, Oprah Winfrey - perhaps the most famous face associated with the brand - announced that she was stepping off the WW International board after revealing that she had used popular weight-loss drug Ozempic.

Shares in the company behind WeightWatchers dropped nearly 20%, the Financial Times reported in April this year.

The company’s CEO Sima Sistani took over when weight-loss injections such as Ozempic and Mounjaro became household terms.

In an interview ahead of her two-year anniversary with the company, Sistani said transforming WeightWatchers in the Ozempic era was like Netflix going from DVDs to streaming.

“There was a time in that transition where the market wasn’t necessarily following where they were in their turnaround,” she said. “We’re in that moment right now.”