Thinning attendance pressures Weight Watchers forecast

(Reuters) – Weight Watchers International Inc forecast full-year earnings below Wall Street expectations as attendance at its diet meetings remained low so far this year, sending its shares down more than 15 percent after the bell. The weight management company expects mid- to high-teen declines in attendance in the first quarter. The company said its marketing strategy has not been effective in an increasingly competitive environment with its diet meetings business losing steam in North America and the United Kingdom. “Consumers saw their paychecks shrinking by mid-January. …