Atkins discontinues journal section

Some people have received the following e-mail. Below I've quoted only the part pertenant to this blog entry:

Now that autumn's upon us, change is in the air--and Atkins.com is no exception! We're redesigning our site to reflect the new, inspirational face of ANI.

With a launch date planned for mid-October, the redesigned site offers valuable, hands-on tools and compelling nutrition information.

Since you're a MyAtkins user, we wanted to make sure you're aware that the tools provided through MyAtkins will no longer be available on the new version of Atkins.com. You will be able to access your MyAtkins information at Atkins.com for one more week following this email. Following that point, unfortunately, access will no longer be available. Also, within the next two to three weeks from this time, you will receive the MyAtkins data that you have not yet received to date. This way, you will have a record of your Atkins history.

We'd like to extend our gratitude to you for your continued support of Atkins, and we apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. We invite you to take advantage of a special offer through Atkins.com. From now through November 30, 2005, you will receive 10% off any order from Atkins.com. Please enter Promo Code: MYATKINS at checkout (restrictions apply).

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Colette had this to say on behalf of Atkins:

You may be aware that our company, Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., has undergone considerable change over the last six months. During this time, we have embarked on an aggressive program to reposition the company, our brands, and their position in the marketplace. These efforts were applied across all departments within the company with the goal being to answer the following set of questions, (I)f we started this company today, What would it look like? Which products would we prioritize? Where would we choose to compete? How would we communicate our relevance with our consumers?

We had to initiated a rigorous review of costs across the board. We have made a number of changes in the way we conduct business that have resulted in significant cost savings, while, at the same time, our customer service, inventory management, and fill rates have improved. We believe that we have converted many of our previously fixed costs to a variable basis, resulting in a nimbler, right-sized, and responsive organization. We have also undergone a rigid budget and cash forecasting review, and are pleased that we are performing to expectations and expect to emerge from Chapter 11 by the new year as a result of these changes.

I hope that the information that I have provided has helped to update you on the status of our company and all of the changes that we have executed over the last six months. We take great pride in the results that we are enjoying as a result of the efforts outlined above. I would like to thank you for your continued support and look forward to continue the Atkins University feature at no cost to you.

and also this:

Atkins University means a lot to us as well and will remain on line as a free service.

We wrote it into the business plan and it was approved to be part of our future .

This isn't something I've extensively used, but I'm sad to see it go and I know some people do use it to its full extent.