Wellfull Relaunches Jenny Craig As D2C Meal Platform
Wellful, an omnichannel health and wellness company, is rebooting weight management company Jenny Craig as a direct-to-consumer meal platform.
Under Wellful, which acquired Jenny Craig in July, the relaunched company will ship frozen meals geared towards weight loss to consumers on a 2-week basis using an existing e-commerce delivery structure developed by Jenny Craig prior to its sale.
“Our strong weight loss and industry expertise, coupled with our proven success as an e-commerce company, made us extremely excited to acquire and launch the new Jenny Craig brand,” said Steve Mikulak, president of Wellful’s Nutrisystem brand, in a press release. “We preserved all the things that made Jenny Craig successful and that customers love most – the food, the structure, the program, the coaching – and integrated a sustainable business model.”
Wellful, which is owned by Kainos Capital, was formed via a merger between Nutrisystem and Adaptive Health in 2021 and officially launched the following year as a DTC and omnichannel health and wellness company. In May, it was reported that Jenny Craig was closing its doors after four decades “due to its inability to secure additional financing.”
The brand’s new menu spans across breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacking occasions, and ranges from a Farmhouse Breakfast Bowl to Baked Ziti and Chocolate Lava Cake. In the release, Wellful CEO Brandon Adcock said the company believes the program will exceed customers’ expectations as the company continues to expand its offerings. No membership fee is required.
In addition to meal shipments, consumers can schedule an appointment with a weight loss coach online or chat with the customer care team at any time. To draw new consumers into the program, Wellful has put together an introductory offer that will ship the new home-delivery plan for free and include a complimentary box of its gluten-free Recharge Bars, designed to curb hunger.
Jenny Craig will be managed as a separate brand within Wellful’s portfolio which also includes Peptiva, Instaflex, Nugenix, Super Beta Prostate and Dr. Sinatra.
The move comes as legacy weight loss programs like Weight Watchers (now WW International) have been compelled to evolve their business models amid a shift away from diet culture. WW currently sells packaged snacks, canned meals and other convenience type products, but the bulk of its program centers around its online community and branded recipes aimed at promoting healthy eating habits.
Meal kit producers have also been challenged to find new growth opportunities as consumer interest began to wane following pandemic lockdowns, meaning the new Jenny Craig could face some close competition. DTC meal kit leaders like Hello Fresh have incorporated “Calorie Smart” offerings and other diet-related plans into their core offerings.
