News

Smoothie King prepares for 100-unit launch

March 26, 2013

Smoothie King Franchises Inc. is opening 70 franchise and 30 corporate locations across the U.S. in 2013. Since December 2012, the smoothie franchise has acquired six additional locations in Florida and Texas, bringing its total number of corporate stores to seven. The chain has already opened six new franchise locations since the start of the year, said Global CEO Wan Kim.

"Smoothie King is experiencing energized growth and we're now seeking new multi-unit owners to help expand our footprint," Kim said. "As a multi-unit franchisee in South Korea, I know firsthand that our concept is a solid investment opportunity. Our positive same-store sales increases over the past three years are a true testament to the strength of our brand. We look forward to bringing our healthy products to more communities as we expand across the globe."

While Smoothie King is on track to sign 100 new U.S. franchise agreements this year, it's also planning to open 50 new international stores, including 40 in South Korea and 10 in Singapore. Even with more than 500 locations in the U.S., the brand still has extensive single and multi-unit smoothie franchise opportunities available in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, as well as Texas, Kim said.

To fuel growth, the chain is offering a franchise development incentive program in celebration of its 40th anniversary. Since launching the program in January, 20 percent of Smoothie King's U.S. system has responded with requests to open new units, showing their confidence in the brand and its future, Kim said. New franchisees will receive 40-percent off the franchise fee, a savings of $10,000 for the first 40 agreements signed in 2013. To date, seven new franchisees have already taken advantage of the incentive program.

Smoothie King will be at the 2013 Multi-Unit Franchise Conference, March 27 – 29 in Las Vegas, showcasing the brand's latest growth initiatives at booth No. 625.

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