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"Jenny Craig" redirects here. For the co-founder of the company, see Jenny Craig (entrepreneur).

Jenny Craig, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryWeight loss,
Weight management,
and Nutrition
FoundedMarch 21, 1983; 41 years ago (1983-03-21) (original run)
2023; 1 year ago (2023) (second run)
DefunctJune 7, 2023; 18 months ago (2023-06-07) (original run)
FateBankruptcy and liquidation under Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code
Headquarters
Carlsbad, California, U.S.
Key people
David Pastrana, CEO[1]
Number of employees
3,000 (as of 2015)
ParentH.I.G. Capital
Websitewww.jennycraig.com Edit this at Wikidata

Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. At its peak, the company had more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. The program combined individual weight management counseling with a menu of frozen meals and other foods which were distributed through its centers or shipped directly to clients. Founded as an independent company, the business was purchased by Nestlé in 2006 for approximately $600 million. However, the business declined, and on 4 May 2023, the company announced that it was going out of business after 40 years. It was revived as an e-commerce store by Wellful (the parent company of Nutrisystem) sometime after this announcement in fall 2023.

A typical location in Hillsboro, Oregon

History

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Logo in the 2000s

Jenny Craig and her husband, Sidney Craig, founded Jenny Craig, Inc. on 21 March 1983 in Melbourne, Australia and began operations in the United States in 1985.[2] The company expanded rapidly after entering the U.S., opening 46 locations by 1987 as well as 114 in other countries. In 1991, the company underwent an IPO, generating $73.5 million in funding.[3]

By 1998 Jenny Craig was operating in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Puerto Rico and US. The revenues had fallen from $401 million in 1996 to $352 million.[3]

Throughout the 1990s, the company's share price declined as it ran into a series of financial troubles involving weight loss drugs, employee training, and costly leases before eventually being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in August 2001. Jenny Craig stock then traded over the counter.[4]

In 2002, Jenny Craig, Inc., was acquired by MidOcean Partners, a New York and London-based private equity investment firm, and ACI Capital, a New York–based private investment firm.[5] On 19 June 2006, they announced the signing of a definitive agreement to sell the company to Nestlé in a transaction valued at approximately $600 million.[6] The company was operated as part of Nestlé Nutrition.[6] On 19 November 2013, Jenny Craig Inc. was purchased by North Castle Partners for an undisclosed amount.[7] In April 2019, H.I.G. Capital acquired the Jenny Craig weight management business from North Castle Partners.[8]

In 2008, YouTube personality Shane Dawson and approximately six other Jenny Craig employees – including his mother and brother – were fired from their jobs for uploading a sketch to his YouTube channel.[9] In 2013, Dawson wrote a comedy pilot about his experiences there and sold the script to NBC.[10]

In March 2018, the company reportedly pulled its advertisements from The Ingraham Angle as a result of host Laura Ingraham's portrayal of David Hogg.[11]

In 2019, H.I.G. Capital, a global private equity firm, acquired Jenny Craig for an undisclosed amount.[12] In October 2019, Walgreens announced that it would begin offering Jenny Craig weight loss services at approximately 100 locations beginning in January 2020.[13]

On 2 May 2023, Jenny Craig announced to employees via email that the company will wind down operations, lay off all employees, and possibly switch to an e-commerce model. The company had been pursuing a sale for some time.[14] Two days later, on 4 May, the company announced via its official Facebook page that it was going out of business.[15] On 5 May, Jenny Craig filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.[16]

On 9 May, its Australian and New Zealand operations were placed into voluntary administration.[17] On 7 June 2023, it ceased all operations in both countries after failing to find a buyer, selling its online capacity to health startup Eucalyptus.[18][19]

The company's intellectual property was sold to Wellful, Inc. (the parent company of Nutrisystem), who relaunched Jenny Craig as an e-commerce store in fall 2023.[20]

Diet program and effectiveness

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According to a systematic review, overweight and obese adults enrolled in Jenny Craig after 12 months had 4.9% more weight loss than subjects in a control/education group (receiving no intervention, printed materials only, health education curriculum, or three sessions with a provider) or behavioral counseling group.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jenny Craig Appoints David Pastrana as CEO and Elevates Monty Sharma to Chairman to Lead Next Phase of Company Growth | Jenny Craig". Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. ^ Horn, Jonathan (7 November 2013). "Jenny Craig Sold to Equity Firm". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Bloomberg News.
  3. ^ a b "Jenny Craig, Inc. History". FundingUniverse. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  4. ^ Greg Winter (29 January 2002). "Jenny Craig Founders Are Selling Chain $115 Million Deal". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Bray, Chad (7 November 2013). "Nestlé to Sell Its Jenny Craig Brand to Private Equity Firm". DealBook. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Jenny Craig Brings 5 Times Its Price in '02". The New York Times. Reuters. 20 June 2006. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  7. ^ Perri, Celeste; Fletcher, Clementine (7 November 2013). "Nestle to Sell Most of Jenny Craig Unit to North Castle". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  8. ^ "H.I.G. Capital Completes Acquisition of Jenny Craig". www.businesswire.com. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  9. ^ Tom Ward. "All Aboard The Shane Train: An Interview With Shane Dawson". Forbes.
  10. ^ Michelle Jaworski (14 November 2013). "YouTube Star Shane Dawson Sells Sitcom to NBC". Mashable.
  11. ^ Cleve R. Wootson Jr. (31 March 2018). "Laura Ingraham Takes an Easter Break Amid David Hogg Controversy and Advertiser Revolt". Bangor Daily News.
  12. ^ "Private equity firm buys Jenny Craig". www.foodbusinessnews.net. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  13. ^ Japsen, Bruce. "Walgreens Adds Jenny Craig Weight Loss To Healthcare Arsenal". Forbes. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  14. ^ Ruberg, Sara (3 May 2023). "Jenny Craig tells employees it will shut its doors". NBC News. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  15. ^ Valinsky, Jordan (5 May 2023). "Jenny Craig is going out of business". CNN Business. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Jenny Craig files for bankruptcy, shuts down". Bloomberg. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Jenny Craig Australia appoints voluntary administrators in hopes of avoiding collapse". 9News.com.au. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Iconic weight loss company Jenny Craig goes under in Australia". 9News.com.au. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  19. ^ Whitson, Rhiana (7 June 2023). "Jenny Craig collapses in Australia and New Zealand after no buyer found for weight-loss company". ABC News. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  20. ^ Ruberg, Sara (5 July 2023). "Jenny Craig will be revived for e-commerce by the owner of diet meal maker Nutrisystem". NBC News. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  21. ^ Gudzune, KA; Doshi, RS; Mehta, AK; Chaudhry, ZW; Jacobs, DK; Vakil, RM; Lee, CJ; Bleich, SN; Clark, JM (7 April 2015). "Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review". Annals of Internal Medicine. 162 (7): 501–12. doi:10.7326/m14-2238. PMC 4446719. PMID 25844997.
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