Article

Juice It Up! gears up for aggressive expansion under new VP

The California-based juice bar and smoothie concept hired its first-ever VP of Business Development in November, and Laina Sullivan is ready to take it nationwide.

January 15, 2015 by Brenda Rick Smith — Editor, Networld Media Group

Juice It Up! is ready to 'take its show on the road,' says its first-ever VP of Business Development.

The California-based juice bar and smoothie franchise is ready build on its 80-unit base and take the brand nationwide, says Laina Sullivan, who joined Juice It Up! in November. Most of the brand's units are in California, with a few in Texas and Oregon.

Sullivan, who has led expansion efforts for Yogurtland, T-Mobile, Supercuts, and Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt, is eying markets in the Sun Belt across the Southern United States.

Juice It Up! has a target of 20 new units in 2015, with a goal of 40, according to Sullivan. She hopes to follow that up with steady 30 percent increases each year following.

"I've read articles all my life about franchise companies that say 'we want 1000 stores in five years and having worked in franchise companies, I know how unrealistic it is. You need to base next year's growth on your current year's growth," says Sullivan. "You want to grow in a timely way, making sure that franchisees are taken care of and not putting so much emphasis on growth that we don't take care of what we have."

Sullivan hopes to grow Juice It Up! to a 90 percent franchisee/10 percent company owned mix. The company stores will help the brand test new products, and will help it keep "some skin in the game" she says.

Strong sales, strong outlook

The timing is right for Juice It Up! thanks to the popularity of its new raw juice platform and strong consumer interest in health and wellness, she explains.

Average Unit Volumes (AUVs) for 2014 are up 17 percent from $506,000 in the top quarter of Juice It Up's units from 2013. Stores have also seen a 40 percent net increase in same store sales year over year.

Sullivan credits the brand's new Raw Fusion platform for driving the sales increases. The platform, which was introduced in April 2014, features raw blends of fresh whole fruits and vegetables.

"Customers are responding in a very, very positive way," says Sullivan.

The focus on healthy eating will never go out of style, she believes, and the same passion that gets a customer through the door – a desire for healthy products – will convert customers into franchisees.

Franchisees want to partner with brands that reflect their passions and fit their lifestyles, she says.

"We believe that the global juice and smoothie market will hit $10.7 billion in 2015, so we do think that there's opportunity for growth," says Sullivan.

About Brenda Rick Smith

Brenda has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing and public relations professional. She invested most of her career telling the story of entrepreneurial non-profit organizations, particularly through social media.

Connect with Brenda Rick: