Smoothie King Opens 900th Location in New York State as the New Orleans-Based Brand Heads North
Lifestyle Franchise Brand Opened Nearly 50 New Stores in 2017 and Signed Agreements for Nearly 100 More this Year
NEW ORLEANS, July 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When doors opened at the new Smoothie King location in Wappingers Falls, New York, yesterday, the company officially celebrated reaching 900 locations across the globe. Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King, attended the celebration which comes after a highly successful first half in 2017 that saw the company add 46 stores across 19 states.
"Bringing Smoothie King to new markets and introducing our product to new guests is how our brand's mission will continue to flourish," said Kim. "We are excited to announce the opening of this, our 900th global location, and are looking forward to 900 more. Our team is energized by the positive reception we get with the opening of each new store."
Smoothie King built upon their growth momentum in the first half of the year, signing 62 franchise and development agreements for 90 committed stores. The brand has focused on the franchise opportunity with operators who share the company's commitment to inspiring people to live a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as being a positive force in their local community.
The owner of the 900th Smoothie King location is an example of this type of franchisee. Bob Viani is a former multi-unit franchise operator with Planet Fitness who had the distinction of opening that brand's 10th location. After growing his Planet Fitness business over 15 years to 17 locations across the Hudson Valley area of New York, Viani chose to sell them and start the next chapter in his entrepreneurial career with Smoothie King.
"I wasn't ready to retire. I wanted to find another opportunity I was passionate about and Smoothie King was a great fit," said Viani. "It's one of the only quick service restaurant chains that not only offers both a better-for-you alternative but also caters to an active lifestyle. It's also not a place people simply stop by for an occasional treat, it's habitual – part of a routine that complements and enhances good eating habits. People visit Smoothie King daily."
Viani enters a brand that is not only the originator and innovator in the category, but Smoothie King provides guests with "Smoothies With A Purpose®" that are also flavorful and convenient. While the restaurant industry as a whole has struggled in 2017 and same store sales are down across the restaurant landscape, Smoothie King enjoyed same store sales increases of 1.7 percent from the beginning of the year through June 30.
"We continue to be inspired by the incredible franchisees who are helping grow Smoothie King's presence across the country," said Kevin King, Chief Development Officer for Smoothie King. "Consumers today are demanding more from their restaurant experience and Smoothie King is ahead of trends, continuously working to improve on the quality of product and perfecting our franchisee support structure and proven model."
The first half of 2017's success continues the company's positive sales path that includes two year stacked same-store sales increasing by 14.6 percent. This continues the successful streak of the past four years of record growth. In 2016, Smoothie King inked 111 franchise and development agreements, and the company is already on pace for significantly more signed franchise agreements this year.
Smoothie King continues its plan to expand in 16 key markets—Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Miami, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Austin, Texas; Washington D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; New York; and Chicago, Illinois.
ABOUT SMOOTHIE KING
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. is a privately held, New Orleans-area-based franchise company with more than 900 units worldwide. By creating each smoothie with a purpose, Smoothie King helps to make it simple and pleasurable for guests to achieve their individual health goals as part of a low-calorie diet and regular exercise routine. The franchise also offers a number of nutritious retail products, including sports beverages, energy bars, vitamin supplements and more.
Smoothie King was founded in 1973 by Steve Kuhnau, whose mission was to help others achieve better health in a tasty way. In 1989, Smoothie King became the first franchised smoothie bar/health food store in the U.S. and currently operates in 34 states, the Caymans, Trinidad and Tobago, the Middle East, and the Republic of Korea. In 2017, Smoothie King was ranked No. 1 by Entrepreneur magazine in the juice bar category for the 24th year and No. 123 overall on the 2017 Franchise 500 list. In 2014, Smoothie King partnered with the New Orleans Pelicans to launch the Smoothie King Center, a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. Smoothie King offers veterans and first responders a 20 percent discount off the initial franchisee fee. Visit www.smoothieking.com or www.smoothiekingfranchise.com; engage on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SmoothieKing; follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/smoothieking.
MEDIA CONTACT
Brian Jaeger
No Limit Agency
312.526.3966
[email protected]
SOURCE Smoothie King
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