NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Oct. 10, 2003--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that the ratings and outlook on Weight Watchers International Inc. (BB/Stable/--) would not be affected by the firm's announcement that its board of directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $250 million of the company's outstanding common stock. Standard&Poor's expects that Weight Watchers will continue to prudently manage its cash flow for required debt amortization payments, acquisition opportunities, and stock repurchases to maintain the current ratings and outlook.