Company History
The company began in 1969 with a handful of groups in Derbyshire and expanded into Yorkshire. By the 1980s, Slimming World had 700 classes in the UK and by 2009 there were 6,000 groups.
Slimming World's charity, 'SMILES', was launched in 1997. SMILES stands for "Slimmers Making It a Little Easier for Someone", and since 1997 it has raised more than £2,000,000 for charity.
Slimming World magazine was launched in 1998. In 2008 sales exceeded 286,000. Slimming World also publishes a range of recipe books and directories available to members in group.
In 2001, Slimming World pioneered 'Slimming World on Referral' in the UK, whereby GPs can 'prescribe' attendance of a group for 12 weeks. So far Slimming World has worked with more than 50 Primary Care Trusts and in excess of 22,000 people have used the scheme.
In 2003 Slimming World launched a programme for 11- to 15-year-olds. Through the 'Family Affair' programme, children between the ages of 11 and 15 can attend Slimming World if accompanied by their parent or guardian. They follow a special eating plan called Free2Go which encourages them to make healthy swaps, such as replacing high fat foods with healthier alternatives.
An online weight loss programme was launched in 2004, offering a service to slimmers who do not attend a group. Originally called bodyOptimise it was renamed as Slimming World Online in 2011. The services offered by Slimming World Online mirror those supplied by a group.
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