water Posted June 19, 2006 CID Share Posted June 19, 2006 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SWITZERLAND_NESTLE_JENNY_CRAIG?SITE=VABRM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Chocolate Maker Nestle to Buy Jenny Craig By SAM CAGE Associated Press Writer GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) -- In a move that recognizes the modern world's twin obsessions - indulgence and guilt - chocolate maker Nestle said Monday it would purchase weight loss product maker Jenny Craig Inc. for $600 million. The acquisition follows Nestle S.A.'s purchase for around $670 million last month of Uncle Tobys, an Australian maker of nutritional cereals and snacks, and is part of the company's "continuing commitment to nutrition, health and wellness," the Swiss company said in a statement. While best known for its namesake chocolates, the Vevey-based also makes baby formulas, nutrition foods such as PowerBar, drinks to aid weight loss and the Lean Cuisine line. The company's purchase of Jenny Craig follows the lead of consumer products company Unilever, which bought both Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Slim Fast in 2000. Weight management will become a new business within Nestle's nutrition unit and will reinforce its U.S. presence, the company said. "With this strategic acquisition, the group takes another important step in its transformation process into a nutrition, health and wellness company," said Nestle Chairman and Chief Executive Peter Brabeck-Letmathe. "The rise of obesity and the resulting metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is a major public health concern, not only in the USA but also the world over," Brabeck-Letmathe said. Jenny Craig, which has more than 3,000 employees and more than 600 centers in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, generated sales of more than $400 million in the past 12 months and achieved double-digit internal growth. Patrik Schwendimann, analyst for Zuercher Kantonalbank, said the purchase will likely further boost the prospects of Nestle's nutrition division. Zuercher Kantonalbank and Helvea both said the purchase comes at an affordable price of 1.5 times sales. Nestle is buying Jenny Craig from two private equity groups, ACI Capital and MidOcean Partners. The current management team of Jenny Craig, which is based in Carlsbad, Calif., will continue to run the business and report directly to Nestle. "We are excited to be partnering with Nestle Nutrition and believe Jenny Craig will fit nicely into, and in fact complement, their portfolio of branded nutritional products and services," said Patti Larchet, CEO of Jenny Craig. "We also believe being a strategic pillar within the Nestle organization will provide us with technical, scientific and nutritional resources to further develop our program and continue to enhance our client experience and results." The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, the private equity firms said in a statement. Nestle shares closed 0.7 percent higher on the Zurich exchange, at 371.25 Swiss francs ($301.59). So NOW I can eat chocolate all day long and honestly say that "I'm dieting!" :haha: :haha: weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cholla Posted June 20, 2006 CID Share Posted June 20, 2006 waterRTBH;Actually chocolate is not fattening .It's the other stuff in it.Like sugar & fat .Of course chocolate without sugar & fat doesn't taste very good either.Try some plain old chocolate powder sometime if you don't believe me. You know why people go to Jenny Craig meetings? Because the meeting room has double doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommie gorman Posted June 20, 2006 CID Share Posted June 20, 2006 Yeah, cholla's totally right. Pure chocolate is somewhere between bland and yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingzero2309 Posted June 20, 2006 CID Share Posted June 20, 2006 i knew this day would come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S7R1D3R Posted June 20, 2006 CID Share Posted June 20, 2006 You know why people go to Jenny Craig meetings? Because the meeting room has double doors. :haha: :haha: man i havent laughed this hard since i saw the pope mobile :haha: :haha: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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