If you’ve heard rumors about Profile by Sanford shutting down, you’re not alone. Plenty of people have questions. For years, it was a familiar name in weight loss and coaching, popping up in strip malls and online ads across the country. But now, some locations are gone, and the original name barely shows up anymore.
So, did Profile by Sanford go out of business? The true story is actually a lot more about transition than collapse. Let’s walk through what’s happened, how it affects members and franchisees, and where the brand stands today.
From Health System Project to National Franchise
Profile by Sanford began as an idea from Sanford Health, a big nonprofit healthcare network based in the Midwest. It launched in 2012. The pitch was simple: combine nutritious meal plans, 1-on-1 coaching, and tracking technology to help people lose weight and build healthy habits.
At first, Profile was mainly in the Midwest. Then, it expanded quickly with franchising. By 2021, it was in almost 100 cities across the country.
Change of Hands: Acquisition by Ten Oaks Group and Rebranding
The real turning point came in early 2021. Sanford Health quietly sold Profile to the Ten Oaks Group. That group is a private equity firm known for buying and restructuring “orphaned” brands—usually businesses that need a new direction and leadership.
Pretty quickly, the brand started calling itself “Profile Plan Nutrition + Wellness,” and eventually just “Profile Plan.” The business was still offering meal plans, tracking, and coaching—basically the same core idea—but now as a standalone company, not a health system side project.
Under Ten Oaks Group, the company grew to claim 150 locations (franchised and corporate-owned) around the U.S. This included about 98 listed stores at the time of the acquisition. For a while, the business seemed to be chugging along, appearing on lists of top health franchises.
The HMR Merger: New Offerings, Same Focus
By 2024, Profile needed another big move. That fall, the company merged with HMR Plan. HMR Plan might not be as well known outside medical circles, but it’s been around since 1983, focusing on medical weight loss and meal replacement programs.
This merger wasn’t a crisis sale. Instead, it was billed as a way to pool resources, add more options, and reach a broader market. If you visit the Profile or HMR websites in late 2024, you’ll see the messaging: it’s all about combining coaching, meal options, online support, and new technology.
A small detail caught attention: the “headquarters” for the new group is listed in Sioux Falls (where Profile started), but HMR didn’t keep a local clinic there. All operations were being handled online, virtually, or out of other branches.
The thinking here was that merging strengths—Profile’s goal-based coaching and HMR’s medically managed plans—could help both adapt to new market realities, especially as new weight loss drugs entered the scene.
Franchise Fallout: Not All Stores Survived the Shift
While the main company kept going through these transitions, things got messy for a lot of the local owners.
Several franchise locations simply closed their doors. Others said they were told by Profile’s corporate team that all locations would close after the merger. This wasn’t uniformly true across the network, but it does match reports from people who worked and owned franchises.
A notable example happened in Sioux Falls, the brand’s original home city. Dr. Mark and Michelle Lounsbery, who once owned seven Profile stores, were among the franchisees whose contracts were cut. Rather than accept their location shutting down, in September 2024 they rebranded their shop as Livwell.
They kept many of the coaching and meal options but added telemedicine services and the option for popular weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. This was their answer to changing demand and the flood of new medical weight loss options.
You’ll find mentions of mass layoffs and “store closures everywhere” on employee review sites like Indeed, especially reviews from 2023 and 2024. These reviews describe confusion and a lot of unanswered questions for staff during the transition years.
The Business Core Didn’t Disappear—But It Changed
Even with those local closures, the company behind Profile Plan carried on following the merger. It’s just operating under new branding, new ownership, and a broader set of services.
Before the changes, Profile had been recognized by business magazines—like Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top Franchises”—as a high-growth concept. Profile boasted about 45 active stores, 64 more being built, and a reported 166 committed at one point.
Today, the Profile/HMR merger group continues running weight loss programs—mainly through online channels and partnerships. The original “Profile by Sanford” name is basically retired, but the meal planning, behavior coaching, and health focus live on.
They’ve pivoted to match what customers want now: not just meal plans or shake packs, but access to coaches, medicine options, virtual groups, apps, and on-demand support.
A Shifting Industry: Fragmentation and New Trends
The bigger picture here is that the old model of franchised, in-person weight loss clinics is on shaky ground. The rise of GLP-1 drugs—things like Ozempic and Wegovy—has changed what a lot of people look for in a weight loss solution. More folks are talking to their doctors or looking for telehealth options than joining local clinics.
So, what we’re seeing is fragmentation. Some former Profile owners, like the Lounsberys, are “going indie” by rebranding and adding new health services. Others just closed up shop. Meanwhile, the main team is steering everything toward broader digital and medical offerings, with the help of HMR’s experience.
This is how a lot of franchise brands are surviving lately—by letting local stores chart their own path or shutting them down, while the corporate brand heads in a new direction.
Several online business directories, like this one, show changes in franchise status and branding. That mirrors the shift to independent or rebranded wellness stores across the country.
Is Profile by Sanford Out of Business? Not Exactly
So, to sum this up in plain English: No, Profile by Sanford is not technically “out of business.” It stopped operating under that name when Sanford Health sold it. Then, it changed hands, merged, and adopted new branding—first as Profile Plan, now as Profile/HMR.
A bunch of local franchise stores did close, and several owners had to pick a new direction. But the business still exists, just with a new strategy tailored to where the weight loss industry is moving.
The original idea—personalized weight loss, regular check-ins, and remote support—survived the changes. It’s now bundled with more options and adjusted for the on-demand, digital-first world.
If you’re a former member, you might not notice much difference in the services, unless you moved, or your usual store closed. But you’ll see less of the Profile by Sanford branding and may interact with former locations that have pivoted to offer related health and telemedicine services.
No Signs of a Total Shutdown (Yet)
It’s true there have been hiccups: store closures, layoffs, changed contracts, and uncertainty for both customers and employees. Staff reviews tell the story of confusion and rapid shifts, especially with the 2024 merger.
But there’s no evidence the brand has shut down entirely. There are ongoing virtual programs, and the new Profile/HMR operation is actively advertising coaching, meal plans, and online support.
We haven’t seen any big news or company statements about a total shutdown as of late 2024. But the company’s shape is very different now than when it was just Profile by Sanford. It’s slimmer, more digital, and less reliant on franchising—a change driven by customer demand and new weight loss tech.
If you were looking for your neighborhood Profile center and found it closed, you’re not alone. But you can still find the bigger business, just under a different name, and with a model that fits an online, telehealth world.
It’s a safe bet that the future for Profile/HMR will keep changing as the weight management industry keeps shifting. If you want to follow the updates, keeping an eye on business news or company websites is the way to go. For now, Profile by Sanford as you knew it is gone—replaced by something new, but not entirely vanished.
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