24 Hour Fitness Partners with Weight Watchers
NEW PARTNERSHIP IN HEALTH AND FITNESS TO TACKLE TEXAS-SIZED OBESITY RATES
Weight Watchers Teams Up with 24 Hour Fitness in Houston
HOUSTON, TX, (September 21, 2009) - For the first time, two industry leaders in weight loss and fitness are joining forces in Houston to take on a growing epidemic - obesity. Weight Watchers International, Inc., the global leader in weight management services, and 24 Hour Fitness, the world’s largest privately held fitness club chain, will offer a powerful combination of services to help achieve a healthy lifestyle all under one roof at locations in the Greater Houston area.
There are several components to this unique partnership:
- Weight Watchers will be opening stores onsite and offering customers a full schedule of meetings at three 24 Hour Fitness club locations: Atascocita Sport, Meyerland Sport, and Kuykendahl Sport.
- Weight Watchers will also offer customers a limited selection of meetings at four additional 24 Hour Fitness club locations: Houston Bingle Active, Pasadena East Sport, West Woodlands Sport, and Pearland Active.
- Weight Watchers and 24 Hour Fitness will be selling and promoting each other’s membership options in all of the locations in the Greater Houston Area.
As obesity rates continue to climb, research has shown that those living a healthy lifestyle both eat smarter and include physical activity in their lives. “Increasing activity has always been an integral part of the Weight Watchers program and partnering with 24 Hour Fitness provides Weight Watchers members with more convenience and direct access to top of the line exercise facilities that can help them reach their fitness goals.” says Daniel Boockvar, Weight Watchers Senior Vice President of Global New Business Development.
According to the Department of State Health Services, nearly 66 percent of adults in Texas are overweight or obese1. Houston-area radio personality Josh Benoit says he used to be part of the statistic. After years of suffering from sleep apnea, shopping at specialty stores, and being told he could no longer fit on his favorite amusement park rides, he decided to make a change. He joined both Weight Watchers and 24 Hour Fitness. He credits the combination to helping him lose 138 pounds and gain a new role as Weight Watchers Leader. “Leading Weight Watchers meetings at 24 Hour Fitness is a dream for me, because it is where I realized my goals,” says Benoit.
According to Randy Drake, Senior Vice President of Fitness and Business Development for 24 Hour Fitness, “Combining the weight management services of Weight Watchers with our fitness offerings at 24 Hour Fitness gives people a powerful formula to achieve a healthy lifestyle.”
To support the new Weight Watchers members on site, 24 Hour Fitness has developed a new group exercise class that applies to people at all levels of fitness. “We created “Jumpstart” a group exercise class that provides a basic foundation of strength training, cardio and stretching for beginner level exercisers including the Weight Watchers members, some of whom may just be beginning an exercise routine,” Drake said.
About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds over 50,000 weekly meetings where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity. WeightWatchers.com provides innovative, subscription weight management products over the Internet and is the leading Internet-based weight management provider in the world. In addition, Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and programs for those interested in weight loss and weight control.
About 24 Hour Fitness
Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., 24 Hour Fitness, an innovative leader in the health and fitness industry, serves more than 3 million members in more than 425 clubs worldwide. Founded in 1983 as a one-club operation, 24 Hour Fitness pioneered the concept of making fitness accessible, affordable and a way of life for everyone. The company demonstrates its leadership through sponsorships like that of the U.S. Olympic Team and a commitment to the community through various charitable and in-kind donations. In addition, 24 Hour Fitness enjoys strategic partnerships with major consumer brands like Coca-Cola Dial and Everlast, and for the past eight seasons has partnered with NBC’s popular reality TV show, The Biggest Loser. Please call 1-800-224-0240 or visit www.24HourFitness.com for more information and to find the location nearest you.
To learn more about Weight Watchers services, products and publications, visit www.weightwatchers.com. To find the nearest Weight Watchers meeting location, call 1-800-651-6000 or click on the “Find a Meeting” link at the top of their homepage.
# # #
1CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Prevelance Data, Texas 2007. Available online at www.cdc.gov/brfss/. Accessed 7-29-2008.
