Franchising
Smoothie King's Q2 sales up 34%
July 22, 2021
After posting 18% same-store sales increase year-over-year in Q1, Smoothie King is back with an even better second quarter with a 34% same-store sales increase.
"Seeing our brand continue to break new ground with same-store sales growth while expanding into new markets demonstrates how powerful our mission and vision are when it comes to our long-term development strategy," Wan Kim, CEO and chairman of the board of Smoothie King, said in a company press release. "Everyone has witnessed how important it is to live a healthy and active lifestyle for overall quality of life, and we're seeing an increasing number of people embrace Smoothie King as a key feature of their fitness journeys. That's having a tangible impact on our growth."
Smoothie King opened 37 locations in Q2, bringing the number of openings to 71 for the year thus far. Of those 37 openings, 16 of them were international locations, specifically South Korea. The chain now has 1,347 total stores worldwide.
A new look
The smoothie brand also has a new store prototype, which showcases the whole fruits and organic veggies that go into each shake.
"With all of the changes we have made with our Clean Blends initiative we are now showcasing our ingredients," Kevin King, chief business development officer, said in the release. The new store design opens up our kitchen to our guests and reinforces our mission to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. There are new bold colors and lifestyle graphics to inspire our guests."
The chain is also using tablet devices for drive-thru ordering and is testing in-store digital signage to notify guests as well as third-party delivery drivers of the status of each order. The brand anticipates faster, more accurate and friendlier service to translate into even stronger unit-level performance, according to the release.
Looking toward the remaining half of the year, Smoothie King is searching for qualified franchise candidates to expand in markets like Denver, Cleveland, Phoenix and New York.
"The first half of the year has been filled with continued improvement in unit-level performance, significant growth, strategic partnerships and strong recognition within the restaurant industry — demonstrating our brand's momentum and supporting our purpose-driven mission of inspiring people to live healthy and active lifestyles," Kim said.
