World’s Largest Smoothie Franchise Off to a Hot Start with Chicago Development Agreement, Entrepreneur Magazine Ranking
DALLAS, TX (StLouisRestaurantReview) On the heels of a record-breaking growth year, Smoothie King – the world’s largest smoothie brand – is eyeing even greater growth in 2021. With key factors such as health, wellness, convenience and safety all remaining top-of-mind among consumers this year, Smoothie King is in a great position to fulfill these needs as it continues to refine and expand on its online-ordering platforms and curbside-pickup services.
As a result of these innovations, along with its continued focus on inspiring healthy and active lifestyles, the franchise is aiming to receive 125 signed agreements before year’s end.
“Owning a Smoothie King is an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs who are passionate about living a healthy and active lifestyle and want to inspire that lifestyle among guests,” said Kevin King, Chief Development Officer at Smoothie King. “Our franchisees are directly responsible for our success, and that success is largely because of their alignment and belief in our mission and vision. That, combined with our simple operations and constant innovations to better serve guests’ needs, blends a real recipe for success. We look forward to welcoming more of those types of entrepreneurs into our system in 2021.”
OUR KIND OF TOWN
One of the reasons for the early-year optimism is a recent area-development agreement Smoothie King received in a key target market: Chicago.
The franchise experienced great success in the Windy City last year, nearly doubling its store count and opening seven new locations. Across the market’s 16 total stores, Smoothie King also recorded double-digit, same-store sales growth each month from July to December.
That success motivated current multi-unit Smoothie King Owner Yonas Hagos to recommit to the franchise with an agreement that’ll bring 30 future stores to the Chicagoland area. Chicago presents a prime development area for the Dallas-based franchise company in part because of the healthy-lifestyle-driven demographic and the size of the market.
“Smoothie King really offers the best of both worlds,” said Hagos. “It’s a large, well-known brand with a dedicated customer base, but there’s still great opportunity for growth in major, untapped markets. Plus, when you consider the outstanding and consistent support from corporate to put owners in the best positions to succeed, investing in Smoothie King is a no-brainer.”
RECOGNIZED FOR SUCCESS
Reinforcing the strength of the Smoothie King franchise opportunity, Entrepreneur magazine recently released its annual Franchise 500 List: a prestigious ranking of the strongest and most well-performing franchises around the world over the past year. It takes into account factors like growth and size, brand strength, cost and fees, franchise support and financial strength and stability.
Despite the challenges that came as a result of the pandemic, Smoothie King was able to persevere in 2020 – opening a record 263 stores globally, including 71 in the United States. This put the franchise over 1,000 units nationwide and more than 1,300 worldwide.
Because of these achievements, Smoothie King ranked in the top 20 on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 List, coming in at No. 19 in 2021. This is the 28th year in-a-row the brand has been listed in the Franchise 500 list.
OPPORTUNITY ABOUND
Like Chicago, Smoothie King is looking to establish a greater presence in 2021 in key markets across the country with qualified and brand-passionate franchisees. These include cities in Colorado, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ohio, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.