APRIL 8 • 2021 | 23
F
lorine Mark, pio-
neering Michigan
businesswoman, civic
volunteer and philanthropist,
has sold the WW Group, her
Weight Watchers franchise
in Michigan and Ontario,
to parent company WW
International. Financial terms
were not disclosed. Mark was
the franchise founder and
served as its president and
chief executive officer at its
Farmington Hills headquar-
ters.
“It was time,” she says of her
decision, made with her chil-
dren, to sell Weight Watchers.
“It’s bittersweet. I’ve been in
this business for 50 years. My
joy is being able to help peo-
ple get healthy,” Mark says.
According to Mark, COVID
temporarily ended in-person
Weight Watchers classes, and
she anticipates that atten-
dance will be limited as some
WW studios reopen. “Weight
Watchers has closed most of
its centers and wants to go
digital. They have great apps,
but I’m not in the digital busi-
ness,” Mark explains.
According to Nick
Hotchkin, COO of WW
International, “WW
International acquired
the WW Group’s fran-
chise businesses in
Michigan and Ontario,
Canada. As we exe-
cute on our vision of
bringing wellness to
all, we look forward to
delivering a consistent
member experience to
WW members in these
regions. We want to
thank the WW Group
and the Mark family for 55
years of helping members on
their wellness journeys.”
PIONEER, ENTREPRENEUR
As a young married woman
with five children living in
Detroit, Mark struggled to
lose weight, even trying diet
pills. While in New York, she
enrolled in Weight Watchers
and was able to lose 50
pounds. Michigan didn’t have
a Weight Watchers program,
and Mark was inspired to
open a franchise.
As a woman entrepreneur,
she initially had difficulty
obtaining a bank loan. (Years
later, Mark chaired the Detroit
Branch of the Federal Reserve
Bank of Chicago.)
Eventually, she found
financing and opened her first
Michigan Weight Watchers
franchise in 1966. Mark sub-
sequently expanded the busi-
ness to 14 states, Canada and
Mexico. Most of these fran-
chises were sold for a reported
$180 million in 2003.
Weight Watchers is a point-
based, healthy eating system
that has received awards for its
effectiveness. Mark has been a
very visible public face of the
company, hosting a podcast,
appearing on a regular “Ask
Florine” health segment on
WDIV, and doing motiva-
tional speeches to encourage
healthy lifestyles. In addition
to individual members, the
WW Group has worked with
employers seeking to pro-
mote healthy habits among
their workforce.
Mark has a three-year
contract to work for WW
International. “I don’t want
to retire. I’m a motivator.
Maybe I can be a consultant
for companies — helping
employees to be the best they
can be,” she says.
She volunteers on many
nonprofit boards, which
“takes up wonderful time,”
including serving as a life-
time Federation board
member and chairing
the Jewish Community
Center. Mark received
Federation’s William
Davidson Lifetime
Achievement Award in
2018. Previously, she
was an at-large board
member and has served
on several of its com-
mittees. Mark was the
first woman to serve on
the Detroit Renaissance
(now Business Leaders
for Michigan) board and
has received many hon-
ors for her business and civic
achievements.
Now that she’ll have more
free time, Mark says that she
may return to playing the
piano and might take sing-
ing lessons. She continues to
attend a weekly virtual Weight
Watchers session and uses a
Fitdesk, a stationary bicycle
with a platform for a tablet, to
help stay fit while working.
According to WW
International, local Weight
Watchers members will be
able to continue their mem-
berships, which include a
digital and physical workshop
plan, as well as a new digital
option with coaching.
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
End of
a Chapter
Florine Mark sells her
Weight Watchers franchise.
On her
“Ask Florine” TV
news segment
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLORINE MARK
Florine Mark
at a WW
Celebrating
Our Success
event.
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER