In simple terms: Founded in 1980, Herbalife International is a global company selling proven weight-loss, nutrition and skin-care products. Over 40 million satisfied customers worldwide are testament to the products efficacy.
A potted history
In February 1980, Mark Hughes began selling the original Herbalife weight loss product from the trunk (boot) of his car.
By 1982, Herbalife had reached $2,000,000 in sales and opened a distributorship in Canada, its first outside of the United States.
In 1986 Herbalife became a publicly traded company via NASDAQ. Independent distributors' personal vehicles could be seen on the street, decorated by decals bearing the mysterious slogan "Lose weight now, ask me how!"
In 1996 Herbalife reached $1,000,000,000 in annual sales.
In 2000, Hughes died at the age of 44. The company has continued to grow after his death.
In 2003, Michael O. Johnson joined Herbalife as CEO following a 17-year career with The Walt Disney Company, most recently as president of Walt Disney International.
On December 16 2004 the company had an initial public offering on the NYSE of 14,500,000 common shares at $14/share. 2004 net sales were reported as $1.3 billion.
In April 2005, the company celebrated its 25th anniversary with a four-day event attended by 35,000 Herbalife Independent Distributors from around the world.
In August 2005, Dr. Steve Henig joined the company as Chief Scientific Officer, responsible for product research and development.
Background Information
The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and employs 3500 worldwide. Products are distributed in 64 countries
through a network that Herbalife claims contains 1.5 million independent distributors.
Herbalife's product offering includes weight-management products such as Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix, a meal-replacement shake and one of the first products introduced by the company. Other nutritional products offered by Herbalife range from dietary supplements made from vitamins, minerals and herbs to personal care products emphasizing nutritional and herbal ingredients, such as aloe vera and vitamin C.
Proponents claim that the Herbalife strategy is aligned with health industry recommendations for safe weight control, eating a balanced diet, low in calories and taking regular exercise, and that their nutritional and weight management line of products facilitate this through macronutrient and micronutrient food formulas. Herbalife provides testimonials from health professionals as part of their marketing campaign.
Sponsorships
Herbalife and its nutritional products sponsor a number of sports events, venues and athletes. Herbalife is the sponsor of and Official Nutritional Advisor to the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour for the seasons 2005 through 2007. Herbalife’s Liftoff™ is the official drink of the tour and also sponsors AVP athletes Elaine Youngs and Rachel Wacholder.
Herbalife was the Presenting Sponsor of the 2005 & 2006 JPMorgan Chase Open WTA tennis tournament. In addition, the company is the Official Nutrition Company and Shirt Sponsor of the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Tour of California bicycle road race.
Herbalife is the Official Nutrition Sponsor of the Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon, Nautica Malibu Triathlon, the Thai Airways International Laguna Phuket Triathlon, and triathletes Olly Freeman and Erika Aklufi. Herbalife’s current CEO, Michael O. Johnson, is a fitness enthusiast and a participant in triathlon competitions.
Charitable Foundation
In 1994 Mark Hughes started the Herbalife Family Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping children. The organization receives donations from Herbalife itself as well as individuals within and outside the company. The Herbalife Family Foundation has donated more than $6.5 million to children's causes worldwide.
Finally...We hope this brief explanation about Herbalife has helped you to understand and appreciate why this phenomenal company has grown from such simple beginnings - the answer is simply that: THE PRODUCTS WORK!