Smoothie King Targets New York, Washington, D.C. And Baltimore For Franchise Growth

NEW ORLEANS, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the premier smoothie and nutritional lifestyle center, announced today it is targeting New York, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore for franchise expansion. To fuel development, Smoothie King is offering candidates 40 percent off its initial franchise fee for the first 40 agreements of 2013 — a savings of $10,000. Since the start of the year, many new franchisees have taken advantage of the latest incentive program, in addition to more than 50 existing franchisees that have committed to opening additional units this year.

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"Smoothie King's aggressive expansion is driven by our impressive results, a strong indication of the growing demand from consumers for our high-quality smoothies, vitamins, supplements and healthy snacks," said Smoothie King Global CEO Wan Kim. "We are confident that our brand has great potential for further development in the New York, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore markets and we look forward to building a stronger presence in these areas."

The New Orleans-based smoothie chain currently has seven stores in the New York City Metro Area and 25 in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Md. metro areas. Smoothie King aims to develop an additional 10 locations in each of the markets over the next two years, including new stores in Yonkers, N.Y. and the Locust Point neighborhood of Baltimore.

To help fuel growth, the company's executive team will host a Discovery Day on May 23 in New York City and May 24 in Washington, D.C., sharing the benefits of opening a Smoothie King with potential future franchisees.

"The health and wellness industry is exploding as people become more educated about what they put in their bodies. Smoothie King is a strong business opportunity to offer healthy alternatives," said Romica Brashear, who owns a Smoothie King franchise in Maryland with her husband, David, and took advantage of the latest incentive program. "We opened our first store two years ago and had been discussing the possibility of opening a second. This was the right time and the incentive helped us get the ball rolling on expanding our business."

"My first Smoothie King franchise opened seven years ago in the middle of winter during a snowstorm and we still had a line out the door on opening day. We got a loyal following very quickly because people love the quality products Smoothie King provides," said Smoothie King franchisee Joe McDonald, who owns two locations in Rye and Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and will open a third in Yonkers this summer. "Smoothie King is a strong business opportunity not only because of the great products, but also because of its 40-year history and solid infrastructure."

Smoothie King plans to add 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations domestically over the next five years. Even with more than 500 locations in the U.S., the brand still has extensive smoothie franchise opportunities available in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, as well as Texas. International development includes master franchise and corporate expansion in Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, with 50 new stores planned in South Korea and 10 in Singapore in 2013.

Franchisees should possess a passion for the brand and be dedicated to serving the community. While restaurant experience is not required, the ideal candidate for the smoothie franchise should have an entrepreneurial spirit, as well as sales, marketing, restaurant and/or retail experience. 

To learn more about the benefits of owning a Smoothie King, or for more information and to register for a Discovery Day, please visit www.smoothiekingfranchise.com or contact Natalie Johnson at (985) 635- 6973, ext. 115.

About Smoothie King Franchises Inc. // SK USA, INC.   
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. is a privately held; New Orleans-area-based franchise company and the premier Smoothie Bar and Nutritional Lifestyle Center in the industry. Smoothie King® offers guests the original nutritional fresh-blended smoothie and healthy retail products, including sports beverages, energy bars, healthy snacks, vitamin supplements, herbs, minerals and other sports nutrition products. Smoothie King® opened its first store in 1973 and started as the first franchised smoothie bar/health food store in the United States in 1989. Smoothie King® currently has more than 600 units operating in 32 states, the Caymans, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. In 2013, Smoothie King® was ranked no. 1 by Entrepreneur magazine in the juice bar category for the 19th year and no. 104 overall on the 2013 Franchise 500 list. Visit www.smoothieking.com; engage on Facebook www.facebook.com/SmoothieKing; follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/smoothieking.

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SOURCE Smoothie King Franchises, Inc.