Unislim founder Agnes, 81, on why dieting and lifestyle company is a family affair

Newry woman Agnes McCourt is still very much involved in Unislim, the business she and her late husband Brian established half a century ago, and is delighted that now both her daughter and her granddaughter are working alongside her.

Agnes’ daughter Fiona Gratzer (55), grew up just as passionate about the business and is now at the helm as managing director.

And this year, a third generation of the family is also involved as Fiona’s daughter, Mila (21), has taken a year’s placement from her university marketing degree to help bring her skills to the firm.

The trio of female businesswomen have ensured that even after five decades in business, and with global giants like Weight Watchers coming (and recently going) from the local market, Unislim is stronger than ever with news that 40 new classes are to be rolled out across the country this Spring.

The company — which takes a holistic approach to dieting and lifestyle — is still as forward-thinking today as it was back in the 60s.

Back then, the concept of coming together to lose weight was unheard of when schoolteachers Agnes McCourt and Brian decided to invite local mums to a weekly meeting in 1968.

The humble beginnings of this now popular weight management plan goes back to the Co Down village of Killeen where Agnes, as a mum-of-three, realised she needed to lose weight.

“I had a bit of weight on from having my three children and I was always very fashion-conscious; I just wanted to look and feel good in my clothes again” she says.

“I was part of a community where there were a lot of young mothers giving birth and busy with their children.

“It was Brian who suggested that I should hire the local school hall one night a week to run a weight-management class. I’d no idea we’d stumbled upon something which would go on to transform thousands of lives.

“I went round the neighbours who were young families like myself, and we started the first class on a Tuesday night in Cloughoge Primary School in Newry.

“We had nine people and I brought one set of weighing scales and wrote down their weight in a notebook. Then we had a chat about what we could do to lose weight and eat less.

“There were no supermarkets then with low-fat foods, we just all shopped local and cooked meals from scratch. It was a different time altogether, our business concept was a novelty, so it was exciting, but it gave lots of

people a social life and a reason to exercise and feel good as much as it was educational and inspirational. Plus, it worked – we got results!”

And so, it grew from there, with Brian and Agnes still working full-time as teachers, parenting at home, and running their classes at night; but by 1972, the business had mushroomed to such an extent, with classes all over the country, that the couple took the brave step of giving up their jobs to run it full-time.

Agnes says it’s Brian, who she tragically lost early to cancer in 1985, who deserves most of the credit for driving the group forward as a viable business.

“We learned a lot from those early years taking the first classes. It was all very experimental, but we knew there was great demand,” she says.

“We just kept getting calls from people asking if we’d open a class in their area.

“We were travelling right across Northern Ireland and finally in 1972, Brian said that we should think about giving up our jobs and running it as a business.

“We also realised we couldn’t do it all and so we decided to train people to run classes for us.

“At that time, it was known as the Agnes McCourt Weight Reducing Programme, which was a bit of a mouthful and Brian realised we needed to change the name, so we finally came up with Unislim.

“Unislim has kept me active and made me so proud over the years. I smile when I think of our achievements and where we came from. Plus, knowing that it has helped so many people lose weight and get healthy gives me a

great sense of pride. We have people who lost as much as eight and 10 stone.

“It’s quite amazing that this little seed took root years ago and has blossomed into the household name that it is today. It really did grow from a get-together with friends to something beyond my wildest dreams.”

“Very early on we recognised that it takes both exercise and healthy eating to create changes; and this holistic ethos continues to form the backbone of Unislim today.”

And while it’s a family business, both Agnes and Fiona see all members of the team as ‘family’.

Daughter Fiona, who runs the company today, said “The most important aspect for us has always been that it is a family business, and everyone involved, from members to our leaders, are part of that family. I couldn’t do this job without mum’s continued support and expertise though. She is retired but still very much involved. Her knowledge is invaluable.”

Agnes adds: “Fiona had come into the company from college and started by making coffee and printing for people in the office. She eventually worked her way up to becoming managing director and it is wonderful that she had the same passion for it that I do.”

Covid-19 hit the company hard though, with lockdown forcing classes to close across the country.

Before the pandemic, Unislim had 50,000 members in Northern Ireland. Now as things slowly get back to normal, the company has ambitious plans for 2022.

News that Weight Watchers is to pull out of Northern Ireland as a casualty of Covid has presented an opportunity which Fiona has been quick to seize. “We wanted to support the people of Weight Watchers and we entered into negotiations to take on their coaches,” she says.

“As a result, we have opened 40 new classes in Northern Ireland this Spring which is phenomenal for us. It is a very exciting time.”

And as many of us make post-pandemic vows to change to healthier lifestyles, Unislim is ready to help ensure there is encouragement, mentoring and guidance along the way with both in-person and online support.

Fiona adds: “We have always had a holistic approach to weight loss, and for us it’s never been solely about food, but also about your mood and, of course, movement and exercise.

“It’s about living healthier and looking at stress levels and even sleep patterns. We take everything into account.

“Our approach is slow and steady; it’s about helping members to make small, sustainable lifestyle changes that will ensure lasting success.

“There really is no better way to get healthy, confident and looking great.”

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