Medifast bulks up franchising opportunities

Medifast Inc. said Monday it has received approval from seven additional states to sell its weight control center franchise and plans to open up to 30 new locations in the next two years.

The approval makes the Medifast Weight Control Center franchises available in 43 states. The seven additional states include Maryland, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia.

The Owings Mills diet product company said its centers offer weight loss plans in which patients can expect to lose 2 to 5 pounds a week for around $7 per visit.

Medifast's (NYSE: MED) real estate arm, Jason Properties LLC, operates 10 corporate-owned weight control centers in Texas and Florida.

Monday's news is another growth move for Medifast as it works to land customers in the hotly competitive, multibillion-dollar weight loss industry. The company reported revenue in 2006 of nearly $74.1 million, up from $40.1 million in 2005.

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: bizjournals.com