Nestle S.A. has acquired weight loss program developer and marketer Jenny Craig Inc. for $600 million. The Vevey, Switzerland-based chocolate maker, with U.S. headquarters in Glendale, is acquiring Jenny Craig from two private equity groups, ACI Capital and MidOcean Partners. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2006. The management of Jenny Craig, based in Carlsbad, will continue to run the business from that location and report directly to Nestle, the company said. Nestle officials said the move is designed to diversify the company, known as a chocolate maker, into a broader nutrition, health and wellness company. It follows the acquisition last month of Uncle Tobys, an Australian maker of nutritional cereals and snacks.
