WeightWatchers 2005 Annual Report Download - page 78

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Weight Watchers International, Inc.:
We have completed integrated audits of Weight Watchers International Inc.’s 2005 and 2004
consolidated financial statements and of its internal control over financial reporting as of December 31,
2005 and an audit of its 2003 consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Our opinions, based on our audits, are
presented below.
Consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the index appearing under Item
15(a)(1) on page F-1 present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Weight Watchers
International, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the ‘‘Company’’) at December 31, 2005 and January 1, 2005, and
the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended
December 31, 2005 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America. In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule listed in the index appearing
under Item 15(a)(2) on page F-1 presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth
therein when read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements. These financial
statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule
based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free
of material misstatement. An audit of financial statements includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement
presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Internal control over financial reporting
Also, in our opinion, management’s assessment, included in Management’s Report on Internal
Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A, that the Company maintained effective
internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005 based on criteria established in
Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO), is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on those criteria.
Furthermore, in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005, based on criteria established in Internal
Control—Integrated Framework issued by COSO. The Company’s management is responsible for
maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness
of internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on management’s
assessment and on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on
our audit. We conducted our audit of internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the
standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal
control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. An audit of internal control
over financial reporting includes obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting,
evaluating management’s assessment, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of
internal control, and performing such other procedures as we consider necessary in the circumstances.
We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinions.
F-2