Smoothie King Growth
USA| Smoothie King has announced further expansion in the US Market, with a commitment of 34 new stores to open within the coming months.
Smoothie King, the largest smoothie brand and the first health and fitness fast casual brand of its kind in the United States, has announced its Q2 2024 brand update, reporting 18 new store openings within the quarter and 34 new store commitments.
The quarter’s 18 store openings include new Smoothie King locations across markets in Georgia, Texas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Florida, New York, Kentucky, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Notably, the new Atlanta store features a brand-new franchisee, rapper and long-time Smoothie King fan, 2 Chainz. 2 Chainz opened a Smoothie King kiosk inside Atlanta’s State Farm Arena in June 2024 in partnership with long-time franchisee and friend, Philip Jones. The brand’s next non-traditional unit is scheduled to open this month with an airport store located in Terminal A of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The DFW Airport location is slated to open July 21, creating a convenient opportunity for travellers to enjoy nutritious, delicious smoothies enroute to or from their gate.
Consistent with the previous quarter, the majority of Q2’s new store commitments (64 percent) are with existing franchisees, signifying confidence and excitement with the Smoothie King investment opportunity. These new deals for the quarter were signed in eleven different states. Among these, the brand will be entering the markets of Grand Rapids, MI and Toledo, OH for the first time. The brand is slated to open six units in the Grand Rapids DMA and five units in Toledo.
Smoothie King has prided itself on providing a compelling investment opportunity—highlighted by a lower cost model and simple operations—for passionate entrepreneurs interested in entering the restaurant industry as franchisees. Smoothie King is operated by over 500 franchisees across the country, guided by a business model that’s been tested and perfected for over 50 years.
“We are pleased with the continued growth of our development pipeline and our reporting this quarter exemplifies the strategic plan to extend the Smoothie King market reach and bring our product to new guests around the country,” said Chris Bremer, Chief Development Officer.
Within Q2, the brand also launched a new beverage category and its first drink served over ice, SK Refreshers. The line of iced-cold, lightly caffeinated fresh fruit beverages debuted at Smoothie King locations nationwide in May 2024, and marked the first permanent menu layer for the brand since the launch of Smoothie Bowls in April 2023. SK Refreshers pack a punch with delicious blends of real fruits and juice, plus Vitamin A and E antioxidants and natural caffeine from green coffee beans. The beverages are available in Pineapple Mango and Strawberry Guava flavours and come in a lemonade version for an extra burst of sweetness.
All Smoothie King locations adhere to the brand’s Clean Blends Promise, which prioritises great-tasting smoothies with more whole fruits and vegetables while removing artificial flavours, colours and preservatives and added sugars in many of its blends. This commitment to blend a more nutritious smoothie from the bottom of the cup up is exemplified with the brand’s strict “No-No List” of ingredients prohibited from entering blends.
More news here.