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Smoothie King targeting NYC, DC with franchisee discounts

May 16, 2013

Smoothie King Franchises Inc. 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, according to a company press release. 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.

"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."

Smoothie King, which has 500 units open in the U.S., plans to add 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations domestically over the next five years. 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.

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